Fire of Chaos
by AAV-sama
Summary: This year's dragon migration has gone awfully wrong, bringing a fiery threat to all kingdoms that stand in the dragons' way! Teachings must be brought to practice as Equestria's new allies struggle to restore peace alongside their comrades. The fate of bonds, spirits, and the entire kingdom will culminate in the fire that will be unleashed in this next war. How will Chaos reign?
1. Scheduled for the South

**Scheduled for the South**

After hours of supervising the recovering kingdom through the night, Luna decided that many had enough. She would have her Night Guard take over, and let her sister's forces rest until the morning. She also instructed that none of the citizens would be disturbed as they were assisted and accommodated according to their necessities.

She walked into Celestia's room and searched for her. "Sister?" She frowned a bit when she saw that Celestia was about to work on some letters. "Oh, no. You let me take care of that."

"But, Luna… It's okay. I can do it. I ought to do something to help-"

"You've done enough. You're still sick, Celestia. You will help us more if you get better soon, okay? Please don't make me bring the doctors into this. They're very busy."

"I understand. But, you also have to see my point, I don't want to lay around uselessly…"

"It's okay. You'll take care of things in the morning, when you've gotten some rest. You'll raise the sun and take care of your duties, like usual. It's night, sister. My turn. I'm just taking care of things like I would do every night. You rest, and let me handle it until the morning. Don't worry, I'll call you if something happens."

She stepped away from Celestia as she walked into her bed. "Okay, I must leave now. Sister, you won't sneak out and overexert yourself, will you?"

Celestia chuckled. "And you tell me not to worry. Please, Luna, I'll be fine. If you say you can handle everything… Then I'll trust you."

Luna nodded. "Very well. I'm sure Discord will be here shortly. Goodnight, Celestia." She smiled at her, then left the room to get back to the throne room and meet the Royal Guard.

She wandered around the palace, exhausted, but determined to wrap things up as well as possible. _This is no time to rest… We haven't had it this bad in centuries. I have to make sure everything is okay…_

The Mane Six approached her with endless offers to help and volunteer in guard duty.

She waved her hoof at them. "Please, girls, don't get carried away. All of us need to recover our energy. We need to get as much rest as we can. Please get some sleep tonight. I assure you everything will be alright." She led them to the balcony to show them the city. "We're doing well so far. I think I can manage it on my own from here. You girls deserve a break for sure."

Twilight looked at her worriedly. "You do too, Princess. There's still so much out there-"

"I'll take care of it. I have to guard the night, anyways. I'll call you if I need something. For now, everything has been tended for, I believe.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Everypony's accounted for, and they're all being helped out there! I checked, even the skies are in order! The Weather Patrol is at its best."

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder. "The medical facility is doing fine, too. They're getting all the help they can get, and the sick and injured are doing much better. Oh, I'll help them first thing in the morning…"

Applejack held her shoulder and smiled. "We all will. We ain't over contributin' to this cause yet."

"Oh, thank you girls. You've all been such great help… I hope you have good dreams tonight. You deserve them." Luna bowed her head at them and watched them leave. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

After that, she kept a steady patrol outside of the palace, where ponies seemed to need her the most at the moment. She comforted those she passed and helped the royal guards with repairs and escorts to refuges. She tirelessly reassured all of Canterlot through the night that they would be safe from then on.

It seemed to work, for the more time passed, the easier it was to get around the city. There was less mess and the debates were milder, as ponies grew more secure and comforted with their princess' words.

Soon, almost everypony was resting and taking it a bit easier, for the hardest tasks were over with, at least for then. Luna led the Royal Guard in the final rounds around the city, and sent messengers and forces to check on the other parts of Equestria, even those that had not been reported as gravely damaged.

Meanwhile, Celestia tossed and turned in her bed. She finally laid in her stomach and let out an annoyed sigh. _I don't know why Luna wasted our time… I can't get any sleep. It's pointless…_ She shook her head and groaned, finally deciding to take a look out the window. "...Discord…"

Upon her whisper, Discord's eyes opened and glowed in the shadows, behind Celestia and her bed. He floated over to her and gently whispered back, just as he wrapped his body around her. "I'm here, princess."

Celestia blinked and smiled with relief when she saw him. "Oh, you sure are… I'm glad… I couldn't sleep, Discord. Everything that happened… Well… How did everything turn out with… Um…?"

"Her name is Miseria, Tia. And don't worry. I managed to calm her down and convince her to give this world a chance… the right way. I convinced her to try to be a part of it… I do believe that we should also give her a chance." Discord sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the carpeted floor. He didn't look at Celestia.

She smiled, knowing that he was more nervous than he admitted. "Of course, Discord. That was very kind of you, to help and reassure her like that…" She patted his claw with his hoof, then leaned closer to him when he wrapped his arms around her again. "I am willing to give her a chance and welcome her to our lives… After all, you seem to have taken care of things well. I trust that you will be able to handle her."

Discord smiled and watched her after he let her go. "Well, I'm glad I have your trust. It's been worth it…"

She chuckled and scooted over on the bed. "Come over here… Lay down for a minute. It's late, and you look exhausted." She looked at the bed while she thought for a few seconds. "...We have never been like this before. On a bed, spending time together after a victory. It's been a long time." She smiled and blushed slightly despite her paleness. "And it's never been like this before. Do give it a try."

Discord stared at her after he sat beside her. He looked up as he sorted through his thoughts. "...You know, a thousand years have made me wonder… If I had grown up beside you through that time… If I had been this free in any of those many nights that passed… Would I have had this chance?"

Celestia looked at him after he snuggled with her. She stayed quiet while he kept wondering to himself.

"Would it have happened in any of those nights? Together, like this… Just you and me… Think of the times we would have spent together, if I hadn't…"

Celestia patted his cheek with her hoof when he trailed off. She looked down for a brief second, then gave him a smile and a nuzzle. "Don't worry about that, Discord. You're with me now, that's all that matters. And… Do you know something? I do plan to have many nights like this one… If you will agree, of course." She looked up at him, then kissed him.

Discord held her face before he leaned forward, closer to her, and let his lips meet with her own. He chuckled, but stayed quiet, even after they separated and remained silent for a little bit.

She kissed him a few more times, then nuzzled under his chin. "See? It's not difficult to focus in this moment. We'll have many more like this, to catch up and make up for everything."

"I absolutely agree. I'm glad you have such a good disposition." He wrapped his tail around hers, then laid down while she watched him. "Cooperation makes everything ever so easier…"

She chuckled and patted his head. "I take it you'll spend the night here?"

He looked up in thought as he laid on the bed. "Ohhh… Sounds like a splendid idea. If it's alright with the princess, of course. I wouldn't like to disrespect her honored right…" He then gave her a playful smile.

She couldn't help but chuckle again. "Of course it's alright with me. Why, you're my honored guest. You always have been." She draped one of her wings over his body, then lowered her head on her hooves.

Discord snickered inwardly. _It wasn't the case a little while ago… But of course, you were throwing a tantrum back there. A princessy-style little tantrum._

"...I love you, Discord. I do. Oh, I've… I've wanted to say that for the longest time now…"

He stared at the princess, then put his head next to hers, facing her. "I love you too, Celestia. Let's just hope the world doesn't come crashing down because of that most obvious proclamation…" He yawned, then closed his eyes as he nuzzled her.

"Oh, yes… Hopefully nothing will happen… Heh, have you noticed? Everytime we touch upon the subject, some chaos or other seems to arise upon us… I hope it's none of your not-so-funny doing." She glanced at him, then raised the blanket with her magic to cover both of them.

She nudged him slightly when he leaned closer to him, and watched him curl up with her on his side. Then she levitated her calendar and gave it a brief check, to already think of what would need to be done the next day, first thing in the morning.

He chuckled a bit. "Rest assured… It's none of my doing… And, if anything does…" He yawned while she scooted closer to him. "Anything does come up, we'll… we'll just deal with it, right? As you have done on your own for millennia… As I will… with… with you… from now on…"

Celestia nodded and spoke while she sorted through the little pad. "Goodnight, then. I'll see you in a few hours, when I raise the sun. Oh, I'm sure there'll be a lot to do, right? I was forgetting, there will have to be a meeting with the council… Do remind me to send the Royal Guard in a leave, they need their rest. And I'm sure things will have to be done about Miseria tomorrow, right, Discord?"

She blinked when she received no response after a few seconds. "Discord?"

She looked at him after she heard his snores, and saw that he was already fast asleep beside him, his head resting on his lion paw, facing her, as he had been while listening to her until a few seconds ago. She chuckled and sighed, putting the calendar away, then turning the candle off. "Tonight was exhausting…"

Discord muttered in his sleep, then scooted closer to her after she laid down again. "South…. end…" He snored a bit more, his ear twitching. "Unh… A… dragon… dragon pony..."

"...Wasn't it? You and your endless, good nonsense…" She patted his head and watched him relax into deeper sleep after he was done mumbling. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Rest well, my dear…"

* * *

Some of the royal guards carried an unconscious Modest out of the plaza, towards the palace. His helmet had fallen off, but he still wore his armor, though the magic shield had also disappeared.

Luna watched the guards place Modest down near the doctor ponies. She smiled a little and walked towards him. _Prince Modest, thank you so much. You fought so bravely for our kingdom's sake…_ She nodded at the ponies and watched them as they left to give her space. Then she turned to Modest again and nuzzled him gently to revive him. "Can you hear me, Prince? Prince Modest?"

The prince opened his eyes and tried to stood up, but stumbled and nearly fell from exhaustion. "Huh? Prin-Princess… Princess Luna, you're free… But… How…?" He winced, then almost collapsed on the ground again, nearly losing consciousness.

Luna supported him. Her horn glowed as she cast a spell to give him some energy. "It was all thanks to the Elements of Harmony, and their combined effort with Discord to stop all of the destruction." She started to walk with him, while she told him some of what had happened in the enchanted Everfree Forest.

She looked down, suddenly feeling nervous again. "Um… I also want to thank you, Prince Modest. Thank you so much for helping us… For keeping the city safe. It would have been destroyed immediately if you had not interfered with the others."

Modest smiled while she kept her gaze on the ground. He closed his eyes, then looked away. "Don't worry, princess. It was all for your sake. I only did my duty as prince, to help protect you. Yet…" His smile faded into a heavy face of disappointment. "You were imprisoned… I feel I didn't do enough. You were attacked and turned to stone, right before me. I couldn't do anything, even to keep you away from her…"

She shook her head and then gave him a reassuring smile. "At the contrary. You did as much as everypony. You saved lives, for you kept the citizens away from danger and harm. I will be forever grateful to you for that gesture. I'm sure everypony will, too."

"Oh, don't mention it…"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Luna grew even more nervous and flustered. She remembered the kiss that she had given him to help Celestia break the spell on him.

_Oh, no… Th-there's that, too… Oh, goodness, I hope… In Master Starswirl's name, I hope he wasn't conscious to notice what happened… _Her ears flattened against her head while she blushed, but she gave him a nervous smile nonetheless, while he also stared at her nervously. "N-now, then… Um, how about we go into the palace, to get some rest? It's… It's been a long night, even… Even for me. Oh, dear, a most crazy night, wouldn't you agree?"

"Um, y-yes, of course. Quite crazy, definitely. I-I couldn't agree more. Goodness, I can't believe it all whirled by so quickly… Um…" He bit his lip, then looked aside, chuckling weakly. "But, yes. The palace. That would definitely be most appropriate."

"O-of course, for the time…"

"Being, yeah…" Modest glanced at her quietly while they walked in silence the rest of the way. He hesitated with the idea of talking to her about the kiss that he had definitely received from her much earlier… But, decided not to, in the end. _It wasn't a dream, though. There's no way it was. Was it? No..._

She glanced at him while he debated in his thoughts, then let out a sigh. She tried to make some more conversation during their last minutes together, but could not find anything for the life of her.

In the end, she settled with making sure that he was not seriously wounded after they walked into his room, much to his embarrassment. "I-it's alright, prince. I just, um… I want to make sure that…"

"Yes, I understand."

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the infirmary?"

Modest stopped in the middle of his room. Despite his condition, it actually didn't look like he was going to bed any time soon, much to her dismay.

He actually headed to some books to consult something. He shook his head and gave her a gentle smile.

"I'll be alright, Your Grace. I would not wish to trouble your doctors and nurses. I'm sure they have plenty to do." He walked beside his bed and put some books on his desk to look at later.

She walked closer to him. "But, Prince…"

He looked at her gently. "Thanks for your attention, I really do appreciate it. I'll be alright for the night, so you may go on now. I'm sure you must be tired as well. I don't want to keep you."

"Don't be silly. I'm the Princess of the Night, after all. I'll be just fine. Don't worry about anything else. It's you I'm concerned about." She moved the books, then set him on the bed, smiling when he tried to protest. "You've already done more than enough for us. Please, do get some rest. I don't want you to get worse."

Modest frowned a bit. "But, princess, I don't think I could just leave you all-"

"Allow me to help, then. That's what I'm here for." She closed her eyes and tapped his head with the tip of her glowing horn before he could say anything else. She cast a spell and let it flow into him gently.

Modest groaned and yawned. His eyes were barely open as he smiled a little and swayed drowsily, fully under the influence of her soothing spell. "I'm… I'm so… Oh, my back is killing me…"

Luna put his hooves in the bed and walked closer to him, massaging the back of his neck and his shoulders gently. "See? Prince, you deserve some rest now. You'll feel much better."

"Oh, that… That feels good… Thank you. You're just… wonderful, Princess Luna…" Modest yawned again, then rested his head on his hooves, oblivious to the bright blush that had crept on her face. He drifted off to sleep seconds later, breathing evenly, his body completely relaxed.

Luna stared at him while he slept, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "You'll be alright." She covered him with a blanket and smiled when he groaned slightly and nuzzled under it, completely comfortable, out like a light. She was still blushing lightly. "I will watch over your dreams now, my…"

She closed her eyes, then took a deep breath before she looked at him again and spoke softly. "My prince." With that, she turned around, then walked out of his bedroom after turning the light off and closing the door.

* * *

Celestia woke up some hours later. She already felt much better despite the few hours of sleep that she got, and the illness that still ailed her. She stretched her wings, then looked at the rising dawn.

After watching that for a few minutes, she turned back to look at Discord and watch him while she slept. She leaned closer to him and kissed him gently. "Thank you for everything," she whispered in his twitching ear, before she headed out to the balcony to help the sun raise.

She closed her eyes, opened her wings, stood tall, and took a deep breath while her body glowed. The welcoming light and warmth of the sun seemed to emanate from her first, before it showered all of Equestria to awake and lead it to a new day and start.

Many ponies around the city were already up or getting up, in their routine of yawns and stretches to get the sleepiness out of them while they prepared for their early morning duties.

Celestia smiled while she watched them all. _Luna did a wonderful job with the overnight repairs…_

The citizens seemed more calmed, coping better after receiving the reassurance and protection of the Princess of the Night. They worked their way around what still needed to be repaired, and did the best with what they already had, trying to move on as well as possible.

_That's my Equestria…_ She groaned and swayed a bit. "Whoa… Ngh, easy… Now, take it easy…"

Discord opened his eyes and watched Celestia just as the morning glow faded from her body, the sun almost completely raised. He frowned just a bit when she staggered, but relaxed when she recovered.

She sighed and looked out of the balcony one last time before she wearily stepped back into the room. A smile played at her lips when she saw him awake. She couldn't help but chuckle when she remembered one memorable morning, more than a thousand years ago. It still felt good to remember it, though, and speak to him how she did back then. "...Discord, good morning. I see you're an early riser."

He gave her a knowing smile before he answered the same way as back then. "Well, sometimes, yeah." He stood up from the bed, then caressed her face with his eagle claw. "Heh, heh… We're not going to roll down a hill to end up in an embarrassing situation, are we?"

Celestia laughed a bit and shook her head. "Oh, Discord." She nuzzled into his claw, then turned around. "How do you feel about breakfast? After we eat, we have to get to business, pretty soon…"

He floated over to her side and nuzzled her neck. "Oh, why not let Twilight Sparkle take over for today? She can manage… Let's have the day to ourselves, Tia. We deserve that much." He smirked and bit her ear just slightly to play a bit. He chuckled when she blushed and giggled.

"Discord!"

"Oh, I'm sure it won't kill anypony. Your council will know how to behave on their own."

"V-very well, if you insist. B-but, Discord-Discord. We still have to… Have to deal with the issue of your… little sister." He watched her float around her, then laughed again when he held her. "Oh, stop!"

"Why? This isn't so bad…"

"My counselors are already discussing the subject as we speak…"

"Are they?"

"Yes, but… I assure you…" She looked up when he held her face, and smiled. "No harm will come to her."

"I'll visit her today. Fine, you win, you win…" He smiled and floated away from her while she chuckled and turned away. "I'll visit her pretty soon. But then… I'll come back to play with you." He appeared in front of her and brushed her cheek with his eagle claw. "What do you say?"

"The idea is lovely. Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you." She sat near her desk, looking up at him. "But come back soon… I really will be waiting."

"Of course you will!" He grinned and sat in the air. "Soon won't be fast enough, princess." he leaned closer to her and held her. However, he snickered and vanished just before they kissed.

Celestia blinked with surprise, then raised an eyebrow. "Discord…" She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "That's Discord, alright. Thank goodness..."

As soon as she was put in charge of some of the Princess' duties, Twilight made sure to do her best to get the job done. She found that it was not as difficult as she had initially thought, just as Spike had assured her it wouldn't be.

After tending to some of the appointed citizen's needs and advising them as best as she could, she diligently checked the palace mail for important notices.

"So you really are going to be in charge of all of it?" Spike sat on her back while she sorted through the mail bag with her magic. "It's a lot…"

"I don't mind being this busy in the morning. I'm free, after all, and the princesses need me." She put some envelopes in their respective boxes. "It's fair that I help them, they're exhausted. The Royal Council needs help, too. I've already gotten a few things done… Sorting the mail is the easiest task there is."

Spike looked up in thought. "Yeah, I guess, but that's what mail ponies are for, isn't it?"

"I don't mind, Spike. Now, let's see… What did the royals get…? Invitations, notices, letters, okay, they go here…" She blinked when she noticed a serious-looking envelope. "Hm? What's this?"

Spike looked at the envelope when Twilight levitated it. "Looks serious, doesn't it? And…" He sniffed, then looked at Twilight. "It smells a bit singed."

"Singed?"

Spike shrugged. "I know that smell, you know."

Twilight sniffed the envelope, then raised an eyebrow. She opened it carefully and started to read while she walked down the hall. She glanced at Spike every so often as he peeked from over her shoulder. "Spike…"

"Sorry."

Modest stretched, then walked out of his room, downstairs. He seemed to be doing much better after the good rest that he got, though he didn't even remember falling asleep. He greeted some of the service and helped others, then stopped when he spotted Twilight in the distance. "Ah…"

Spike looked over his shoulder then smiled, tapping Twilight's head to get her attention. "Twilight!"

"Spike, please, I'm-" Twilight blinked, then bowed her head when Modest stopped before her. "Oh, good morning, Prince Modest! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. I was just…"

"It's no problem, Miss Sparkle. Good morning." He smiled and looked around before turning his attention back to her. "I suppose you'll be in charge of some things today? Heard you're running some errands here."

"Oh, yes, just taking care of a few things…" Twilight smiled and chuckled a bit. "I don't plan to take any liberties, though! Um… Anyway… How are you feeling, Prince Modest?" She gave him an admiring smile. "I heard it was you that kept Canterlot from falling completely. You were of great help to our royal guard."

She tidied a messy pile of scrolls and envelopes into a neat, organized set while she spoke, and did not mind Modest's slightly embarrassed smile.

"Um, to be honest… I don't really recall much of last night's events. Things were so very… confusing." He rubbed the back of his head while he thought.

Twilight blinked while she stared at him. "You don't?" She tilted her head to the side a bit.

Modest sighed and shook his head. "I barely remember anything that happened earlier… Um, yesterday, to be exact…" He shrugged and looked at her with a confused expression. "Next thing I knew, the princesses stood over me, and… and Princess Luna…"

Twilight smiled a little when he blushed and opened his eyes a bit wider. "Um, are you okay?"

"O-of course! It's just… Um…" He glanced aside, fidgeting with his hooves. He had no idea why it had happened; it felt like he had woken up from a dream… and then the Night Princess was there, kissing him. He was now certain that her kiss was not part of the dream. He had been awake when that happened.

He cleared his throat and started to walk alongside Twilight. "Er, anyway… I remember Princess Luna being turned to stone. I remember that quite well. I… I guess I got carried away in the moment and stress of the situation after she disappeared… I didn't think too clearly. I was just focused in helping everypony. I decided to stay and protect the princesses' kingdom no matter what, since I was unable to protect Princess Luna. Miseria had left a mess big enough as it was, they needed all the help that they could get."

"Yeah..." Twilight muttered and looked aside. For some reason, she felt like it wouldn't be the last that they would see of Miseria… Though she sure hoped that it would be the last time they would have to confront her like they did last night. _It sure was terrifying… It still makes me shiver, to think of all that… It's unbelievable, that we all made it through it in one piece..._

She looked down at the letter that she had read. "...But, Prince Modest… It looks like Canterlot was not the only troubled place. Look… The Southern Lands seem to be having issues as well. They have for a while, from what it says here…"

She frowned a little while she skimmed through the letter. "Dragon migration seems to have gone awry over there… They got in trouble and are under attack…"

Modest gave Twilight a concerned look. "Is that so?" He stopped and turned around, looking down at the letter. "That's definitely not good… Dragons always have been a problem. What else does it say?"

"Let's see... 'Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Canterlot. I hope that this letter finds both of you in good circumstances, and in good health. I am afraid to inform you that we are under the attack of raging dragons that constantly arrive into our lands via the dragon migration. We have tried our best to hold them back, but a single princess' magic is not enough. They have already caused more damage than we can handle. Our people needs your help. I implore you to come or send somepony to help us all. The Southern Kingdom is in great danger of becoming a dragon land and den. Please help us, before anypony else is lost. I shall await your response and assistance, and will be forever grateful regardless. Your fellow comrade, Princess Talia.' Oh, goodness… It does sound really bad. I can't believe they're having it so bad over there… It seems like misfortune just moved over to another kingdom…"

Modest looked at the letter. "They were under attack at almost the same time as we were. I'm afraid that there was nothing we could do to help them earlier."

Luna walked up to them with a determined expression on her face. Stubborn as she was, she had refused to lay down for long, and had wandered around the palace to see about her duties. She managed to overhear the letter, and decided that she had heard enough. "But we can help them now. I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn't help myself. They're in danger and they need us. We cannot ignore their call. We must send someone to assist them immediately."

Twilight looked at her, then nodded. "You're right, Princess. I'll call my friends and tell them to be ready right away. We'll head out and towards the-"

"No, Twilight Sparkle. You and your friends will be needed here in Canterlot. I heard that Discord managed to tame the Spirit of Madness and Destruction, but I wouldn't want to take any chances. It was both the Elements of Harmony and his magic that defeated her. Were she to rise again, the Elements need to stay together, in here, to ensure that no further damage is done."

"We can manage this, princess. After all, it's not the first time we've saved the day, right? I think it would be best if you stayed, with all due respect. Equestria needs you. We'll assist them… Besides, what if something happens, and… And you're affected? Equestria would be devastated. We can definitely handle ourselves, and we won't waste any time. They need somepony immediately-"

"Precisely. I know they do, which is why I don't want to waste any more time with this." Luna sighed and smiled a little. "It will be alright… Because I will go and assist them."

"But Princess Luna… Are you sure you can handle it on your own?" Twilight looked at her worriedly.

Luna nodded and gave her a determined smile. "But of course I can. I am prepared to do anything but fail. I won't rest until I help the Southern Kingdom. I have the power of the night with me." She started to walk while she spoke. "I will show those dragons what I am capable of. They will regret tormenting the kingdom."

Modest smiled and walked beside her. "You will not be alone on this quest, Princess." He nodded, then looked ahead with a determined gaze. "The Southern Kingdom has been an ally of the West for generations, for many centuries. They deserve my help as much as yours, to honor the treaty and alliance that our kingdoms signed from nearly the beginning time of both."

Luna stared at him while he explained himself. She thought for a few seconds, then nodded. She had to admit that his determination was admirable… Not to mention the resolve to help the kingdom in need, regardless of them being allies. _I should have known he would insist, of course…_

She gave him a small smile as he kept walking. "Very well, Prince Modest. We will go… We will go together." She blushed slightly, but then shook her head to compose herself. "But… We must leave as soon as possible. It's urgent, as you know."

"Of course." Modest nodded and turned around to keep going, but stopped when Twilight walked in front of them. _Goodness, I'd forgotten about her… I wonder how they'll do in here, on their own._ "Um…"

Twilight looked at her worriedly. She knew that she would not convince Luna to stay behind, but that did not dispel her concerns nonetheless. "But, Princess Luna… Aren't you going to get some more rest, first?"

"No, Twilight, I can't afford to rest. The Southern Kingdom needs our help immediately. The sooner we arrive there, the better. We'll solve their problems soon. We would want their help as soon as possible, if it could help us against our misfortunes. We can't waste any more time, I'm sorry."

She and Modest continued their walk down the hall, with Twilight and Spike following after them.

Celestia turned around the corner and quietly walked past Luna, much to her little sister's surprise. She remained silent, her expression serene; her eyes were closed, and she remained calm, despite having heard what Luna was up to.

Luna looked back at Celestia, seeming surprised. "Sister…"_ She's not going to protest?_

Celestia smiled at her and gave her an approving nod. "Good luck, my little sister. I do hope that the best of luck will be with you." She walked closer to Luna and nuzzled her, then bowed her head to Modest.

Luna returned the gesture, then turned around towards some servants that had approached her. "Please prepare some supplies for us. Only what we will need the most during the travel. I appreciate it…"

She watched the servants leave, then ran out of the palace after everything had been instructed to the others. _I have to be able to do this… I can't fail them. After what happened here… I can't fail again._

Modest watched Luna leave. He looked at Celestia and bowed his head respectfully, then gave Twilight a nod. "Your Graces, you will have to excuse me." He smiled at them, then quickly followed Luna.

Twilight sighed worriedly. "I sure hope everything will end alright…"

Celestia turned around and walked to the throne room. "We have to trust them. Even if things get complicated, we'll be there to help. We got out of our tough problems, but that doesn't mean we can't lend anypony else a hoof to save them."

Spike nodded. "Of course! We'll get them out of trouble in no time! Those dragons really need to learn to live peacefully among other creatures… Honestly! It's not the first time they cause problems! I'm a dragon, but I can definitely get along with ponies and others. You know, I still see Peewee and his parents often…"

Twilight smiled and nuzzled him. "You're an exemplary dragon, Spike. We definitely agree with you. I'm sure Princess Luna and Prince Modest will teach those rude bullies and thugs some manners."

She and Celestia laughed a bit, then headed down to the throne room together.

* * *

**Miseria:** Oh, dear. This year's dragon migration went awfully wrong, didn't it? In scarier ways than anypony could have every imagined... In light of the events, it looks like I'll be switching a few rules after all!

**Discord:** Miseria...

**Miseria:** Hm. Did I say 'rules'? Dear me, _roles_, I meant to say! Look out, Equestria! You've got another ally on the loose!

**Discord:** You're not making that very comforting.

**Miseria:** Boy, they sure are cryfoals, aren't they? _Anyway... _That's right! I'll be helping Discord and the others set things right. Looks like the villain for once had another kingdom in his sight, other than Equestria... New royalty will also be joining our cause, to claim what was taken from them, and keep the world from falling into more destruction that for once, I am not responsible for! Old friends make their appearance again, and though all seems lost, there will be unexpected turns and events waiting just around the corner to renew our spirits! It's a fiery challenge that soon threatens to take over the world!

**Discord:** You do realize you're supposed to shed light on how everything is falling apart as we speak, right?

**Miseria: **Join our adventure in this new part of the series, and follow-my attempts not to sound like a cheesy narrator!

**Discord:** Look out with that burning, falling tower! As I said... Ahem-kingdom falling in flames? Portray it? Insight of it, much?

**Miseria:** This is gonna be very, very exciting, isn't it, brother? I never imagined being 'good' would be so much fun! Just you wait, ugly dragon... thing! I'll love and tolerate you so like nopony ever did before; I'll make good look bad!

**Discord:** As another fellow with common sense said... This might be a wicked bad idea-

**Miseria: **For the greater good of bad!

**Megamind:** ...She sure knows what's good for bad.

Okay! Yay! First chapter of _Fire of Chaos_! I hope it was good… Um… I like it. I feel I could've done better, though. But… I like it, nonetheless. There was… pretty much just about everything. Discord, Celestia, Luna, Modest, romance, whatnot…

And there was Spike! Poor Spike, he hadn't appeared since those scenes from 'The Return of Harmony'! I'm glad I put the little guy here, at least for a bit…

Luna and Modest are off to their own adventure, hurray! Good for them. The beginning of the third part of the series, everyone! Problems with dragons in the Southern Kingdom… Which, sadly, I had not mentioned before.

I hope this part of the series is as good and interesting as the others have been so far. I look forward to it… Thank you for reading! Do tell me what you think, as always. :3


	2. A Day To Discover

**A Day To Discover**

Miseria snored just a bit while she slept deep within the Everfree Forest. The thick trees above her shielded her from most of the sun. The animals were still intimidated, so they stayed away from her. She held the ground draped over her as a blanket, holding it with her hooves. She moved just a bit under the ground-blanket, her form that of a filly once again.

Meanwhile, Discord flew over the Everfree Forest, searching for Miseria. He didn't call out to her, but paid attention, particularly around the areas where he suspected that Miseria would be, if she woke up early.

"Now… Where could she be? I wonder where she stayed for the night… Gee, I'd never noticed how big this forest actually was before. It's quite something, almost like a couple of towns."

He lowered down to search a bit closer, floating through the trees. After a few minutes, he stopped when he caught sight of a cream, pearly white pony that slept on the ground below him. At least that's what the creature looked like at first. Upon closer inspection, Discord noticed that the top half was that of a beautiful alicorn filly, while the lower half was a yet-unnamed creature.

He snickered and snapped his fingers to vanish in his usual flash of white light. He appeared right behind her and watched her sleep, curled into a ball. "Now, who could ever miss something as adorable as this?"

She quietly muttered in her sleep, then slightly opened her eyes. "Hm…?"

Discord chuckled and nuzzled her a bit, then gave her a smile. "Hello, dear little sister."

Miseria yawned, then rubbed her eyes. She smiled when Discord nuzzled her. "Mmm… Good morning, big brother…" She stood up and hugged him. "It's so good to see you… Um…"

Discord tilted his head to the side when she stepped back and gave him a sheepish expression.

"How did it go last night? Did they…?"

He patted her head, then picked her up in his arms. "It was alright, you know. It went quite well. Celestia is a very patient, compassionate, and forgiving lady. They will pardon your actions… But, you know, you'll have to do your best, with your greatest effort, in order to gain their trust."

Her ears drooped while she looked down. "I'm sorry, brother… You're going to go through tough times because of me, aren't you? I really didn't… I didn't want to make you, um…"

He sighed, then patted her head and started to walk. "Let's take a walk, shall we? There's a lot of things that we must discuss today. Or… Maybe there's not so many, but they're very important."

"Oh, that sounds interesting! What are we going to do today? You know, besides… talk?"

Discord looked ahead while they walked through the dark forest. He snapped his fingers and levitated some bothersome branches with thorns and buds out of their way. When they hissed, he simply flicked his claw to silence them. When he raised his claw again, a small light floated before them to light their way.

"First I'll teach you how to use your powers without them getting out of control. I'll work with you so that you can use chaotic magic… not destructive magic, without it snapping on you. That takes plenty of control… You'll have to work hard in setting limits to your powers and using them by said limits. You'll give them 'handicaps', as you called it all earlier, but such a thing is necessary for you to coexist with us."

Miseria nodded, but then tilted her head in confusion. "That's what I never understood, though… How on earth can destruction be controlled? I do remember that Twilight said it could be… measured, or something… But I don't see how." She shrugged and gave him an odd look. "How can that happen?"

"Well, it's simple. You just… You have to… Erm…" He groaned and held his claw over his face. "Oh, dear… It's all a matter of simple, but determined dedication, Miseria. You know, Chaos is just as difficult to control as Destruction, yet I manage to do so."_Somewhat. Along those lines…_

Miseria nodded again, and kept staring at him as she listened attentively.

"We are the embodiments of those unlimited elements… If there is something that we must have in us, it's a way to control them so that we do not go way over our heads, and lose ourselves to our own powers. They're _ours_, after all. We must control them… They cannot control us. It may be difficult to gain this at first, but we'll keep practicing. Sooner or later, you'll grasp and understand how to limit your abilities. I know you'll be able to do it. You're just that bright and special… I know there's good in you, as there is in me."

Miseria blushed and smiled a bit, then appeared on his back and rested her hooves on his head. "Alright… Fine, you win, brother. I'll give it a try," she mumbled reluctantly, folding her front legs.

"Look at it on the bright side! We'll get to spend that time together. After all… Who would be better to teach you about control over any chaos than-" Discord grunted and trailed off when Miseria nearly choked him by hugging his head and neck. He coughed and tried to pry her off.

"Brother, that's great! It's going to be amazing, I promise!" Miseria giggled, then let Discord go while she leaped in the air. "C'mon! What are we waiting for?! Let's get started with the training already!"

Discord groaned a bit while he rubbed and cracked his neck. _Glad to see you're enthusiastic…_ He sighed and floated after her while she did flips in the air in front of him.

* * *

Modest paced around one of the palace gardens. He waited outside, just like Luna had asked him, but seemed quite anxious and tense, even talking to himself every so often.

"A dragon invasion. _A dragon invasion!_ Of all things… Oh, this isn't good. It's not good at all… Just when things appear to get together here, another kingdom has to be threatened… And it had to be the Southern Kingdom… No, no, things won't end well…" He sighed and made himself stop, but soon continued the pacing. _Princess Luna, where are you? What's the hold-up with the supplies? At this rate…_

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, calm down. It won't do any good to worry like this. We'll get there and help them, as planned. We'll stick to the plan. I-I think…"

Luna gave final instructions to the captain of the soldiers that would accompany them. "Make sure that the forces are not obviously visible and detected. We are dealing with dragons, but that does not mean we will make careless mistakes. We'll handle them as we would any other enemy; with caution and attention. Also, please make sure that the supplies are not lost under any circumstance. We don't know what conditions we will find them in. It is our concern that they last more for them than they will for us."

She walked over to Modest and gave him an apologetic look. "Please forgive my delay, Prince Modest."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, princess. I-I understand. It's just so much to deal with…"

Luna nodded while she walked beside him. "I'm actually glad you volunteered to come." She glanced down and let out a sigh. "I'll admit… I would not have been able to manage all these soldiers on my own."

Modest smiled at her. "Oh, nonsense. I think you're doing a wonderful job so far, my lady." He blushed when she glanced at him again, then shook his head and cleared his throat. "Erm, anyway… Shall we go now, Princess?" He opened his wings and prepared to take off in the air.

Luna nodded and did the same. "Yes. Let's go." She looked up, then jumped in the air and quickly flapped her wings. She looked down to make sure that the army remained hidden, but following their path.

"Either way, princess, they already have directions. I actually told them where it will be best for them to arrive in the Southern Lands."

Luna looked at Modest again, with a raised eyebrow. "You know that much? But we didn't-"

"As I said, the Southern Kingdom has been our ally for a really long time. I've actually visited it quite often. I know the route that will grant us the best, most unnoticed access."

Luna thought for a bit, but nodded. "Of course. Right, then we'll follow that." _How could I forget? Right, he's obviously been there before. So he basically knows everypony, I hope. That will be of great help…_

Modest smiled again. "Alright, then. I'll lead the way." He chuckled a bit when he dove aside in the air, and she followed quickly, catching up to him in no time.

* * *

After a few hours of very excited chatter and games, Discord finally arrived at a distant part of the forest, where Canterlot was barely visible anymore. There were logs and cut, fallen trees all over, followed by deformed, withering plants, and ground that was broken in some areas. Clearly, that part of the forest was still recovering from the very recent, very intense damage that it received from Miseria's doing.

He grabbed Miseria from his shoulders and sat her in a log. "Okay, let's get some things straight. If you're going to limit your powers… First you have to learn to control the intensity of your spells. This has to do with your will, your thoughts, and what you want. You need to learn to control all of this. It's easier than it sounds, because the three of them are so similar, and so closely connected."

Miseria frowned. "Why do I need to control that?"

"Because our desires and… creative thoughts, if you may, are what power our abilities and strengthen our magic in the first place. It has a lot to do with it all. It's not our mood that influences our powers, or our knowledge in some magical arts. The reason why our magic, chaotic or destructive, doesn't matter… The reason why it's so strong and powerful is because it relies on our creativity and wishes to grow stronger. It literally grants our every thought. Our mind is as infinite as those elements that we control. We're connected like that. Do you understand?"

Miseria nodded with a smile. "Of course I do. I knew I was connected to my destruction. That's why I thought I'd never be able to do anything without it dying off on me."

"Well, you're wrong. Like I told you, you just need to limit yourself. You were doing well, back then, actually. You just have to keep in mind that limits are not necessarily bad, like you thought. You're not doing bad by keeping your power at a certain level. It's much more entertaining to take it easy, one spell at a time. You just concentrate on that next time you think something up."

She watched him while he made a bunch of random objects appear, and float around them, like usual. She laughed and quickly started to play with them. Despite her constant tampering with the objects, they did not disappear or grow out of Discord's control.

Discord turned to look at her expectantly while she spun around on a wheel. "Alright, now it's your turn to try it. You'll see that it's very simple. Just try to pay attention to what you do."

She sat back down on the log after he disappeared his creations a few seconds later, to help her focus. "What…?" She blinked when he even turned some of the objects back to their inanimate forms. "Hmm…"

He raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to her when she shifted in her hooves and sighed. "What is it?"

"Um… I'm… I'm not sure I'll actually be able to handle this… 'control' thing well, Discord… It's… It's just been so fast, you know, everything, and… I know I did wrong, I do, but… Suddenly…" She looked down nervously. "Suddenly, it's all changing. I have to learn to control myself, but… You and I both know that's not me. All that I am, all that I've ever known…"

Upon her magic's command, some of the fallen trees began to twist, coil, and slither around the ground. She blinked when they began to twist too much, though. They wrapped themselves around one another and hissed at each other like angry snakes. They even threw swift bites with their fangs made of leaves.

"It's all this…" Miseria grimaced a bit when she watched the tree-snakes, which were already almost destroying one another while they actually withered and blackened. She looked at Discord with an awkward, sheepish expression, knowing that she had messed up yet again.

"I used to feel the same way… Trust me, I completely understand what it's like, to be in this position. But, believe me when I say that it is not the end. You're far from over. There's more to it all than you think." He put his lion paw on her shoulder, then snapped his claw fingers to return the broken trees to normal. "This is why I'm here; to show you that there's more to you. Aren't we infinitely powerful? Why on earth would this be all there is to us if there is no end to our creativity, to our possibility? A little control does not cut us short. It just helps us think even bigger, far outside the box."

Miseria smiled and stared ahead as she tried to use her magic sparingly again. The plants that she had destroyed the previous night began to rise and come to life. They pranced on the ground around them in a joyful, fast-paced dance, spreading leaves and petals everywhere. She laughed when they slapped their vines against the ground during their turns, adding new beats to their rhythm.

Discord nodded and held her shoulders while encouraging her some more. "Excellent, that's a good start. Keep it up! Just focus, now. Make sure they stay fun." He smiled and watched the plants float in the air, now dancing in duets. "You're doing very good, keep it up."

Miseria groaned a bit while she focused on lowering the plants back on the ground. "Okay… Let's… Let's get them back on the ground… C'mon, back to being just vines and flowers."

The plants dug too deeply in the ground with thick, strong roots. They absorbed too many nutrients, drying the ground up more while they grew taller.

"Ngh... W-wait… Ohh!" She watched as the plants soon got out of control, then groaned in frustration. "I can't do this, brother!" She glared at the plants while they ran around her. "Get back here!"

She prepared to pounce on them, but stopped when they threatened to attack her in return. "Hey!" She growled a bit, then slapped her tail at them to slash them to bits. "That's what you get!"

Discord shook his head. "Now, now… Don't lose your temper, Miseria. It's alright to mess up." He snapped his fingers and returned the plants and the ground to normal. "There. Give it another try. We have plenty of time and material. You just need to be patient, remember?"

"Oh, brother… Do we really have to try so hard? It's so tiring…" She looked down to watch a few of the fallen leaves that twitched around her. "Our powers just won't cut it."

"Nonsense, Miseria. We have to do our best to control ourselves to prove them, and ourselves, that it's worth it… giving us a chance. It does matter, Miseria, even if you don't think so right now. I live among these ponies, and I won't change that. I'll live with them for a while. So will you. You don't want to live alone in the Dark Dimension or the Everfree Forest, do you?"

Miseria gasped and immediately shook her head. "N-no!" She hugged him, nuzzling his paw when he covered her with it. "I don't want that, brother, why would you even think that?! I don't want to be anywhere that you won't!" She held his paw tightly, then looked up at him worriedly.

"Of course you don't. I don't want that, either. So let's give it another try. Heh, heh… Trust me; a bit, or plenty of hard work is always worth it. You'll see for yourself, when we're done with this exercise."

She scratched her head and gave him an odd look. "How do you figure that?"

"Oh, it's… It's something I learned from a recent friend. Well… One of the long-time, best friends of a best friend of a recent best friend of mine. Now, let's stop stalling. Give it another go. I assure you, Miseria, this is actually much, much easier than otherlearning methods I've come across through the years."

Miseria rubbed her eyes when he nudged her, then took a deep breath. "Okay… If you say so…"

"That's right, good. Calm down first. Pace yourself and take your time. I know you can do this."

She closed her eyes and focused her magic aura in her horn while she prepared another spell. Her wings fluttered a bit while she concentrated. _C'mon… If he could do it, so can I, right? I can do anything that he can do… I've got to show them. Let's go, Miseria… If I could use all that magic… This should be no problem! This will be the easiest spell ever..._

Discord watched anxiously while she kept focusing on her spell. He tried his best to remain calm and patient with every attempt of Miseria's, despite her constant failure. He had never actually trained anyone else before; he had never been much of a teacher simply because he never had anybody to teach. The experience was quite new to him (for a change), and it felt good to have someone to educate. It gave his powers of chaos a whole other meaning and purpose.

However… He also realized quite quickly that it might as well also be the most challenging task that he had ever completed, watching over a pupil while they tried and constantly failed, encouraging them instead of growing frustrated. He knew that frustration from both would get them nowhere. It was difficult to remain patient, but he had to give it a try.

_I was in this position, after all… Hmm, it would have been so much easier if I had had someone to train me like this. I had to learn the hard way… At least the Spirit of Madness and Destruction is fortunate enough to have me… Eh, and I was quite lucky to have Fluttershy understand me… _He smiled sympathetically while he continued to watch Miseria go through the repetitive magic attempts. Every time she felt like giving up, he would remind her it was for her own good, and urge her to try again.

He actually barely noticed the hours that passed while he continued to coach her, and witness every failed attempt from hers. He held her steady once he noticed that she began to get tired.

_Geez… Having a little sister is really something, Celestia. It's good, bad, tiresome, delightful… It's all kinds of things at the same time. I never knew you had to put up with this chaos long before knowing me…_

"Try again, Miseria, just one more time. You've got one more go in you, right? This is nothing! It's hardly been a few hours, dear. Go on, we have a whole day ahead of us. It's fun, isn't it? I think you're making much progress already. You just have to focus a bit more."

Miseria nodded and grunted a bit while she pushed herself up. "Yeah… Hang on, I'm going to try again!" She frowned and stood on her hind legs, concentrating as hard as she could. Her horn glowed with her tangelo magic while she tried a different approach with her magic. She remained determined despite so many mistakes and failed tries, and was happy that Discord was as determined as she was.

* * *

Luna, Modest, and the Royal Guard soldiers had already left much of the Equestria lands, approaching the Southern Kingdom by flight, while the Guard still followed by hoof.

The Princess of the Night looked at Modest again after a moment of silence. "Have you come up with any plans yet? I'm still thinking of them myself. I should be more prepared…"

Modest smiled at her. "We're getting there, don't worry. We've still got a good way to go, so we have time. I think that perhaps the dragons were driven off in the wrong course. Perhaps there's something or somepony in the capital city of the Southern Lands that attracts them to alter their course. It would be… If that was true, some leader or something…" He sighed and shook his head, looking back at Luna. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it could be a good theory. Dragons don't just verge off the course that they have followed along with their ancestors for generations. We have to find this unusual change, whatever it is, and make it right as soon as possible. Ponies, no matter how many, couldn't be a match against dragons for long."

"I know… Especially as many as those that fly around in the migration every year… We will need to be organized if we are to infiltrate ourselves within the city." She smiled at him and chuckled. "It's a good thing I brought some diagrams along with the guard, and flight patterns, too. They might help us figure out what's wrong by studying the normal behavior. Your theory might not be so far off."

Just then, dozens of dragons flew over the clouds, way above Luna and Modest, and too quickly to notice the ponies while they rushed to hide. They roared at each other and swerved in different directions to avoid the other massive beasts around them.

Luna looked at Modest, then watched him nod and take off almost immediately. She looked down at the Guard. "Get ready! We will follow them. Do not lose sight of the dragon trail!" She commanded, then flew after Modest to back him up quickly.

They flew ahead of the Royal Guard together, while they prepared themselves for combat if necessary. She studied the dragons that they managed to see, trying to figure out if there was something wrong with them. _They don't seem to be under a spell… So that might be off… Then Modest might be right. It's got to be a leader. They wouldn't take unnecessary detours. Why now? Why here? They have all of Dragon's Land to themselves… We actually haven't had problems with dragons in a couple years now._

"I just hope that everything turns out alright, princess. We're getting even closer." Modest looked up at the dragon group a bit worriedly. "I wouldn't want to say this, but… I know we are both thinking it. I'm afraid our numbers might be nowhere near enough to combat them properly."

* * *

Twilight made her way to the Royal Council room immediately after she was summoned by the wise, elder ponies. She was rather nervous, as Spike had pointed out earlier. She had dismissed it, but began to admit it to herself-she was nervous and was beginning to have no idea what she would tell the council ponies.

_I wonder what the meeting will be about… I've never met with the council before… I hope I don't make a fool of myself. What will I say to them? Am I professional enough? Should I have dressed? I don't want to seem silly in front of them, though. Oh, gosh, I can't believe this is happening-calm down!_

She shook her head, then held it when she came to a stop in the middle of the hall. She glanced around to make sure that nopony was watching her. _...Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Twilight. We all know what happens when you get nervous. It keeps going, and then you freak out. And… then, you get paranoid. And, ohh… We really don't want that. Not… Not after last time._ Twilight rolled her eyes, then took a deep breath to compose herself and calm down.

Once she gathered her thoughts and composure, she turned a corner and stopped at the council room, going over her ideas and proper manners for the meeting. She gave herself a few reminders before finally knocking on the door a few times.

The royal guards that stood behind the door opened it for her and led her in, stepping back to give the council and Twilight some space.

She smiled at the guards before bowing her head to the elder ponies that sat before them. She cleared her throat softly and managed a proper greeting. "Good evening, Your Graces. It's an honor to meet you."Wiser nodded, then glanced at the other members of the council. "Miss Sparkle has arrived, ladies and gentlecolts. Our meeting has officially begun." He gestured to the guards, then watched them leave and close the doors behind them. "Please, take a seat, Miss Sparkle."

There were a total of ten ponies in the room, including Wiser. Twilight glanced at them all before she took her seat, and noticed two in particular, because one of them was familiar, and the other pony just never ceased to surprise her by being there in the first place.

The pony that was familiar to her had a light cobalt blue coat and gray mane, despite the fact that he actually did not seem much older than a middle-age stallion. He wore black-rimmed glasses and a very serious expression on his face. She recognized the stallion as Sharp Tongue, a stern counselor that often insisted to personally deliver his strict rules upon Equestria, despite the princesses' insistence otherwise.

The other pony was crystal pegasus with a brilliant red coat and slightly-reddish, longer mane, and dark gray eyes. All of his body was sparkling and shiny, just like his fellow crystal ponies in the Crystal Empire. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and seemed quite handsome, wise, and smart, despite his quiet and seemingly timid nature and appearance.

"As I said, it is an honor to be among you today, Your Excellencies. I hope I will be able to help you. I-"

Sharp Tongue waved his hoof to cut her off. "Let's save the flatteries and get to the matter at hoof, shall we? It is of most impending ratification; the subject of the two non-pony creatures that stay here in the kingdom. We all know who we are talking about-Discord and Miseria."

Twilight blinked and nodded. "Um… Of course. Yes. I understand that we need to discuss their-"

"It is our understanding that they were responsible for now two incidents that have put our kingdom in great risk and danger. So apprehension, and severe, definite measures to control those individuals are in order. Equestria has had enough of their chaotic danger and disregard of the ponyfolk, and shall not be tolerated." Sharp Tongue nodded his head sharp and coldly, then glanced at the members of the council that agreed with him, and those that seemed rather hesitant about such harsh decisions.

Twilight frowned just a bit. "I-if I may, Your Excellence… Do forgive me, but… I must say this." She cleared her throat, then put on a serious expression to proceed with her explanation. She also spoke clearly and confidently, because she was completely certain of what she was about to say. "Discor was one of the elements that helped save Equestria. That's right, it wasn't just the Elements of Harmony. We must give him some credit and gratitude for what he did… If he had not helped us, we would all be doomed. The princesses also support this. I don't think it would be grateful of us to punish him for earlier deeds…"

A gray earth pony mare smiled at Twilight and nodded. "I agree with Miss Sparkle's reasoning. We can't punish him for what he already did, even if it was very severe. He already had punishment that the princesses considered fair, and apart from that, he helped save Equestria when he had absolutely no obligation to help us in such a close, powerful manner."

A dark violet unicorn frowned. "Of course he had an obligation! He lives in Equestria, he is under direct order and debt to the princesses!"

"Oh, Star Magic, you know that is definitely _not_ true. Discord is not at _anypony's_ mercy; not even the princesses. He is also under nopony's obligation to do anything, much less help us at a dire situation when he could easily be making his escape. Don't you all agree?"

Twilight smiled a little and nodded at the mare. Of course, Council Ore Locket."

Sharp Tongue replied to their statements immediately, seeming quite impatient. "Well, don't get me wrong… But I understand from the information that we have gathered that Discord himself caused the arrival of that other creature. Don't tell me you're willing to ignore _that_."

Wiser glanced at Sharp Tongue, then looked at Twilight again. "I suppose Mr. Sharp Tongue does have a point, Miss Sparkle. It was because of him that the new creature appeared. To defeat him, right?"

_Like Discord has any control over that…_ Twilight looked down, then took a breath to speak. "According to Miseria's own explanation, she was created to succeed Discord; to beat and best him. So he gained Discord's trust and tried to be close to him. That was the initial plan, but she changed her mind. Turns out she always did look up to Discord, and thought that what she was doing was right. We can't judge them, they thought they were right. Discord himself had no idea about what she was really up to."

The council members looked at one another, talking amongst themselves before they gave Twilight a chance to continue with her explanation.

"In any case… We must have in mind that Princess Celestia does not wish for severe punishment and measures to be taken upon either of them. Princess Luna is ready to second her sister's motions."

Red Feather looked down in thought while she listened to Twilight attentively.

Sharp Tongue sighed and rolled his eyes. "I will remind you, Miss Sparkle, that one of the princesses' duties is to perform any action that they take only once the _council_ is finished with its decision over the matter of discussion. Only then are they free to act upon what we have all decided, but not before. I would have thought that being Celestia's star pupil would familiarize you to the typical procedures."

Twilight blushed a bit and cleared her throat. "O-of course I know the procedures, sir. I'm familiar with them. But… I-I just don't think that drastic measures will be good in this case…"

Red Feather looked up at the council members once he got an idea. "Well… I have thought of something now. Something that might help us all, including the two creatures. We must acknowledge, my fellow members, that Discord is no longer a problem. Please keep in mind that Fluttershy has reformed him with her friendship. We can't ignore it. What if we tried to control Miseria's powers? No, more specifically and better said… What if we help her gain proper control, and not impose our will upon her? I mean, she can't control them on her own, that's certain, but… But if we help her…"

Another pony nodded and continued Red Feather's explanation. "He's right, my friends. Let's think about this. I mean, it's not like she will leave any time soon, right?"

Ore Locket looked up, then shook her head. "No, it sure doesn't look like it." She looked at Sharp Tongue, who folded his front legs and looked away.

Wiser nodded towards Red Feather. "I agree with your idea… But her training should be on safer grounds, for the sake of the citizens. We should not fully trust her until we are certain that she can control herself."

A light green unicorn mare shook her head and rolled her eyes. She pushed her glasses up, then levitated the scrolls and letters, among them the urgent letter that Twilight had read, from the Southern Kingdom. "Regardless of those decisions, this other report came in along with other important notices. Look at it." She placed it in the middle of the table.

The council members spoke among themselves once again, each taking a look at the letter.

The unicorn mare cleared her throat. "The Southern princess herself has written to the princesses, requesting for their help to stop a major problem that has emerged. They have reported a massive roundup of dragons." She looked at Twilight. "They're attacking the Southern Lands after they detoured from the dragon migration. Isn't that right, Miss Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight nodded. "It all appears to be that way. Prince Modest and Princess Luna already left to investigate. They took part of the Royal Guard with them. However, we still don't know how they're doing with that."

"We were informed that around the land they are becoming prepared for perhaps an assault of large scale, against other lands, like they did with the Southern Lands. They may be led by others that are experienced in the warring environment, seeking to conquer more and more of this kingdom through creatures as powerful as the dragons, since they are mostly immune to unicorn magic. Because of these motives and statements, we have enough reason to suspect that Discord and Miseria are involved in this."

_Oh, for the love of…_ Twilight held a hoof over her face when the council began to argue about that report. She shook her face and tried to speak her opinion about the matter, which clearly went against what some of the council believed. However, she had to make it clear, at least. "B-but, Your Graces, please. There's no way either Miseria or Discord could be involved in the southern attack. Just-just think about it!"

She couldn't continue, because all of the council ignored her, even those that supported her. They could not let the other members go against Discord and Miseria without getting a piece of their mind and their motions. Before long, the debate was heated and full on again, because they were fully serious about the discussion, just like with any other subject. They were even writing things down for further reference.

Twilight just sighed and stayed quiet until there was a chance to speak and move on with the meeting.

Red Feather cleared his throat and looked at other ponies for support. "Please, let's just… Let's keep things in order. We need to cover a lot of things, so… focusing on just speculations won't-"

"With all due respect, Red Feather, you were the one who brought up such an absurd idea." Sharp Tongue raised an eyebrow at the crystal pegasus, who simply stayed quiet and calm. "Helping Miseria control her powers! Please, that would be helping in the destruction of our own kingdom!"

Red Feather shook his head. "It doesn't have to be. Let's think about it in a more positive perspective, please. We don't have to immediately assume that any measures that we take about them will fail and require drastic decisions. No. They're living creatures, like us. They require assistance in some way, like any of us. So let's be willing to help them." He took a deep breath and thought about his next proposition, while the rest of the council calmed down and seemed willing to listen, without breaking into argument.

"Very well, Red Feather. Do tell us what you have in mind." Wiser nodded at him and motioned him to continue, after he glanced at his fellow council members to listen as well.

"I believe we can keep both of them here, in Canterlot, for safe, preventive measures. I don't believe they would argue much about that idea. I should also mention that… Well… There is a special magic artifact in the Crystal Empire that could really help us with this."

The violet unicorn scoffed a bit. "Is that so? And how would that happen? We've never heard of such a thing in the first place. All of a sudden there's a little object that will solve our problems?"

"Yes, it will help, trust me. The reason why it has remained unmentioned until now is because it would be dangerous to use on any magical creature, including someone like Discord. The Crystal Empire thought it best to keep such a thing a secret… Unless it was absolutely required, like now. It is able to considerably weigh down and limit magical power on whoever it is used. You could say it sort of 'drains' the user of magical power so that they can be restrained and contained, but its abilities are very strong. Anyone with magic powers lower than those of Discord's would be completely overwhelmed and drained of their magic… and their life energy, in the long run. Yes, it's that powerful."

Sharp Tongue cleared his throat. "And how did such an object come to exist, pray-tell?"

Red Feather sighed and scratched his head with his hoof. "It was one last effort of the ancient ruler of the Crystal Empire. Queen Dream Song tried everything to drive Sombra away. The last thing she did before Sombra defeated her for good was create something to at least try to hold his powers down. She hoped that perhaps it would be enough or buy time to defeat him later. It failed… Unfortunately, the artifact was not complete before Queen Dream Song passed, and Sombra took over… When it was finished, it was sealed and locked away, out of just anypony's reach, until now, I hope…"

"You hope?"

"Yes. Now we have finally gained access to it, and just in time, too. I know it could be dangerous, but, considering the situation, it would be excellent to keep the being known as…"

"Miseria. Her name is Miseria, and she is not just 'a being'. She is Discord's sister, and as such, she will be treated with respect, even when discussing any possible sentence." Celestia walked into the room, much to everypony's surprise, and stood beside Twilight's seat.

She allowed everypony to get up and return to their seats after they bowed to her, then looked at them expectantly to hear their ideas and further discussions. "Please, do go on."

Red Feather nodded and smiled just a bit at Celestia. "Miseria, yes. It would keep… Miss, Miseria, within check, so that she could perhaps join our civilization without any harm to her or any of us."

Celestia smiled brightly, ignoring the protesting glares of some other ponies. "Oh, that would be an excellent idea, Red Feather." She glanced up at the council. "I'm sure we would all be willing to give that a try."

After the council decided to agree with Red Feather's and Celestia's idea, Wiser spoke up, back to the important subject of the dragons. He looked at Celestia. "Pardon me, Your Highness, but this is another subject that we were discussing, prior to Discord and Miseria."

"Of course, go on."

"From what we have discussed, we believe that the dragon force that has attacked the Southern Kingdom might expand, and try their luck and force against other kingdoms… We believe this because… Well, there might be a leader that commands them. We all know that any ambitious leader, such as the one that surely directs them, would seek to expand their territory of rule. If that is the case, sooner or later they will decide to take arms against Equestria. Do you believe that we will be prepared for their attack?"

Celestia nodded. "Why do you fear that we would not, Wiser? I believe that we have won a lot of assets and allies for the kingdom in these few years. I think we'll fare well if they decided to attack."

"But, it's all an odd turn of events, considering all the events that have unfolded within the unfortunate kingdom… Dragons are selfish and independent creatures. They are ambitious, yes, but they drive themselves, and they achieve their greedy intentions on their own. Never has any pony or even another creature found the strength and power to unite them within an army and organized group. I'll be honest, I used to think it was impossible. Not only do we have to prepare for an attack… I believe that we must study this radical change… We must try to figure out why it happened, why now, and… how?"

"I agree with your concerns. They're the same questions that we are wondering at the moment. We just can't seem to find answers to that yet… It's too soon. After all, my sister, Prince Modest, and the Royal Guard just left recently. We haven't receive any messages from them yet… But here's what I believe."

Ore Locket nodded and smiled at the princess. "Go ahead, then, Princess Celestia. You know we're always willing to listen to you and your sister before we make a decision." She glanced at Sharp Tongue and chuckled when he glared down at his desk without saying anything.

"Well, I do believe that the commander is obviously a creature with particular power, intelligent enough to know his way around the handling of dragons, particularly the handling of a large group, no less."

Star Magic nodded. "Yes, we all agree with that, Your Highness. What next?"

Celestia paced around the room while she thought. "An important fact that we need to consider is that it is now of all times that we need the greater advantage and assistance that both Discord _and_ Miseria would grant in our favor. I know that her powers cannot exactly be controlled, but I absolutely agree with Red Feather. If they were to be… held back, with the object that Red Feather has proposed to us… Not to mention correctly coaxed and trained by Discord in addition… I believe that we would successfully keep Equestria safe, and we would help Prince Modest and my sister with their mission, from here."

She smiled when she saw that most of the council nodded in agreement. "Luna and Modest will find out all that they can about this new threat to our world. In the meantime, my fellow comrades, I must ask that Miseria's presence is not rejected, but welcomed and supervised to the best of our ability and disposition. Keep in mind that we are the Kingdom of Unity and Harmony. It is what we are most prized for. We cannot behave any different to any creature that befalls in our land, even if they were once hostile towards us. Our hospitality and ability to accept those who need us-and she certainly does so-makes us different to those that assault us. I hope that as council members of Equestria you can understand this."

Twilight sighed and stared at Celestia while she spoke. She felt encouraged by the princess' speech, but still could not help be worried by what was to happen. _I do hope that Princess Luna and Prince Modest can help… And that they'll be alright. If something happens to them, then..._

Her thoughts were interrupted when the council spoke again. Red Feather decided to address Celestia next. "In that case, princess… I propose that we request back-up from the royal forces that we have sent over to the Crystal Empire. We need to prepare for what could be an imminent assault on the capital of Equestria, where the Royal Sisters reside. I'm sure the Crystal Empire won't object to help us like this."

Celestia gave another smile to her long-time friend. "Very well. The council agrees with these measures, so do I. Then I trust that you will take care of that, Red Feather?"

Red Feather returned the smile and bowed his head a bit. "Of course, Princess Celestia. I will ask Princess Cadance to send the troops and the artifact as soon as possible. We should have them tomorrow at latest."

Celestia looked at the council, which seemed pleased and satisfied with the measures that they were taking. "I'm sorry I interrupted and interfered. I just couldn't help it, I needed to help you all come to a decision…" She glanced at Sharp Tongue and Star Magic. "I am still in the liberty of doing that, am I not?"

Star Magic nodded. "Yes, of course you are, Princess."

Sharp Tongue sighed and nodded as well. "Hmph… Of course, Princess… You must understand that you have to consult us whenever you make a decision… We were just talking about that."

"I do understand that. I keep that in mind. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a council anymore. Thank you for your help and comprehension. I'm sure that if we keep this good work, we'll end up being alright, despite anything." Celestia smiled at Twilight. "Isn't that right?"

"Oh, it always is, Princess Celestia." Twilight smiled back and bowed her head at the council. "Ladies and gentlecolts, no matter what happens. Equestria will stand together with all of its citizens. That is the only way that we will win if those dragons come to attack us. Be staying together."

Red Feather smiled and clapped his hooves, as did others that also congratulated Twilight.

Celestia nodded and looked at her student. "Who else to motivate the Royal Council and lead them in the path of harmony with others than Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the Elements of Harmony herself? Thank you so much, Twilight. I'm glad you've been taking such good care of the royal duties for us."

Twilight blushed a little. "Please, princess, I'm just doing my best. More importantly, we have to focus on anything we can do to help Princess Luna. I'm sure she'll be having the toughest time of all of us."

"Yes, you're right." Celestia started to walk down the hall, towards the throne room, with Twilight following beside her. "They've got a lot to do… But I sure hope they get there safely in the first place. We haven't heard word from them yet, but… But that doesn't mean something bad has happened. I just hope they're able to help the Southern Kingdom and solve the problem before it goes too far…"

Twilight sighed and nodded in agreement. "It's a pretty tall order, though… Um, no offense. Just-"

"I know what you mean. But I'm sure that they will at least get some of it done. Luna knows that the priority is to ensure the Southern Kingdom's safety. I don't want any other of its citizens to get hurt in all of this, and neither does Luna. That's why she left in such a hurry. Oh, she won't let them get hurt…"

_I just hope she doesn't get hurt herself. But… Of course she wouldn't. That's why Prince Modest is there. To help her and watch her back. They do make an excellent team…_

Celestia smiled at her, and continued her walk. "But the council is right. Regardless of my trust in Luna, it won't hurt to be prepared, in case the problem reaches a higher scale. After all… We wouldn't want Equestria to be attacked by dragons again. We've only just reached an era of relative peace with them."

"Of course, it would ruin everything. Dragons are a force to be reckoned with. I do hope that this problem doesn't make them even more resentful towards us ponies…"

"I'm sure that if we handle things well, we'll be alright." Celestia sighed and led Twilight forward, her mind racing with all the problems that currently crashed on them. _Oh, dear… May we have the strength for this._

* * *

...What the heck? Somehow the description that I'd written got deleted... o.o And my parents have been a pain, so I barely have time to edit this anymore... Well, I'm going to give it a try, nonetheless.

Um... I liked this chapter overall. Discord and Miseria's sibling moment was so cute! And, the council meeting... I liked it, too. I think I'll make visuals of the council members that I featured here. Politics... They can be boring, but it's necessary, isn't it? I mean, we've got to see how the characters make their plans.

Red Feather is back! Of course he was gonna be back. I'm sure some of you saw him coming back. I had to have him make another appearance, he's a cute guy! I hope he can have significant appearances further in the story. I also had him mention Queen Dream Song, the ruler of the Crystal Empire prior to King Sombra. I have an interesting story about Queen Dream Song, that involves Sombra, how he drove her out of the throne, and Princess Cadance, somewhat.

Wow, eleven pages! Now, this is what I'm talking about! Sorry about the long read, hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was nice... And I will get to work on the other chapter as much as I can, during this break! I'm so glad I was able to post at least one chapter during this wretched break...


	3. Stealth and Practice

**Stealth and Practice**

Time had passed rather quickly. Before either Luna or Modest knew it, it was almost midnight. However, they still followed the dragons tirelessly, in company of the Royal Guard. They did their best to study the behavior and patterns of the beasts to get as much information as possible, but despite their silent analysis of the dragons, they were not able to figure out much before they reached the Southern Lands.

The Southern Lands were famous for their exotic location; for their jungles and forests, and their tropical, likeable weather that attracted tourists every so often, and provided a perfect home for the ponies of iron-hard spirit and will. The Southern ponies were fighters, as was evident in the remains of the cities; there were pony weapons and utensils everywhere, even deep within the towns. It was obvious that even the citizens had gone down before the dragons fighting, and fighting with their best.

Many of the forests had been burned by the dragons, and the towns and cities along with them. They could not see the pony citizens, but they figured they were taking shelter either in prisons that the dragons may have put them, or far away from their land, as refugees.

Luna doubted, however, that with the amount of dragons that supervised every piece of land, many ponies would have been able to escape after the massive attack. Even the main city that held the castle was broken, as was what once was the glorious castle of the Southern Kingdom, home to the royals that surely stood at the front of the battle against the beasts.

Modest shook his head while he stared at the ruins. "Princess Luna… This is…"

Luna nodded in agreement. "Horrible, I know. I hope that they didn't hurt many of the citizens. I suppose the Southern Royal Guard is out of the count, unfortunately… Goodness, they were more organized than I thought… It's unbelievable…" She turned to the guards and whispered to them to search for survivors.

Once they were done carefully inspecting the borders of the capital city, Modest took Luna's hoof and hid her with him beneath some nearby rocks. They had dismissed the Royal Guard so that they would also cover more land within their scouting. He spoke in whispers to Luna while they slowly approached the inside of the city. "We'll have to be careful from now on."

"You don't have to tell me twice. I don't doubt those dragons will devour us in seconds, without any thought…" Luna frowned and glared at the dragon guards that stomped past their hiding spot.

Modest looked around in a different direction and spotted all the dragon nests that had been built around the city, as well as the large, black flags that held the emblem of a red silhouette. It was a bit difficult for him to make out the form of the silhouette, but after the wind stopped, he saw it; it was some kind of dragon horse. "Princess Luna, look at that…"

Luna looked at the flags that he pointed her to, and noticed the odd emblem sewn on them. "Hm… Well, I haven't seen that one at all before… It's not the crest of any dragon… If they even have crests."

"I haven't seen it either. It certainly doesn't ring any bells… I can't recognize the shape."

"It's not a dragon, it's not a pony… It's not a draconequus, either…" Luna raised an eyebrow. "A manticore? I don't know any creature that holds manticores as their symbol."

"Among dragons, that would be odd… No, I don't think it's that, either. In any case, we can't figure out what it may be… But, whatever that creature is… I'm pretty sure it's their leader that they put in those flags."

Luna nodded and glanced at the dragons. "Of course. Everyone does that."

Modest swallowed a bit while Luna stared at the city with a hard look. He noticed that she was glaring quite hard at the dragons that wandered at their leisure.

They did whatever they pleased within the ruins and the broken prized possessions and properties of the Southern ponies. They defiled the image of the Southern princess, and intimidated their pony slaves without a care.

"Princess…"

Luna narrowed her eyes, then looked away to keep walking. "We have to go in. We can't let them get any further, prince. They've already gone this far, if we let them-" She grunted when Modest held her back. "Prince! Let go, we have to do this quickly! We don't have much time, they'll notice-"

Modest shook his head and proceeded to explain things to her in a calm voice. After all, he didn't want to get her more agitated than she already was. "We can't go in yet, Princess Luna. It's not safe. Let's give it a bit more time to find out more information, after all… Well, we've only just got here. We've still got plenty of night to cover us, right? We'll use that and the element of surprise to our advantage to sneak into the castle. Understand that I do not mistrust you or doubt your skills, but… This is an armada of dragons that we're dealing with. I don't think that we would be a proper match for all of them, even with the combined efforts of our guard and our power. So let's be patient, alright? Better safe than sorry, I'd say."

Luna stared at him with a frown, but then relaxed a bit and sighed in defeat when he smiled gently at her. "Very well. You're right, of course… We'll wait. But let's not wait idly, of course. We'll keep watching, then we definitely have to plan some strategy before we go in. It has to lead us somewhere."

"I absolutely agree. We'll head east, then. It seems the coast is clearer that way."

And so their scouting continued for about two more hours. They met with the captains of the Royal Guard every so often to check on their findings. Unfortunately, they found no free Southern ponies to rescue, but they had found out a great deal about possible openings for infiltration.

After a full victory of the Southern Kingdom, the dragons had grown rather slack on their guarding duties, to their surprise. They seemed to scout the area every so often, but they were not thorough. This gave the group the chance to sneak further into the capital city through small places that they would have access to and would be overlooked by the large, flying dragons.

Before they could get right to action, though, the princess and prince were startled by loud drums that rolled from the castle ruins and quickly spread out across the capital. Suddenly, all the dragons roared in greeting while the figure of their leader emerged from the castle's balcony. It was a creature that Luna and Modest could not make much sense of, because they had not seen it before.

A red stallion stood over the other dragons. He had a large build and seemed quite strong, even his black dragon wings did. He held his head high, his wings opened and spread out to his sides. He looked down at the dragons as they roared in unison once he showed himself before them.

The alicorns and ponies of the Royal Guard grimaced and covered their ears at the loud roars.

Many slaves followed after the strange dragon-winged stallion. One young female approached him in particular, upon his command. Her coat was light blue, her scales shone just slightly. She had small, light rose horns on top of her head, and light rose claws. She was able to stand on her hind legs for a short time. Her yellow eyes barely looked up at the stallion that appeared to be her master. She wore a chained collar around her neck, which was held at the end by other dragon guards.

Luna groaned a bit while she held her head and shook it, having been stunned by the awful noise. "Ngh… Talk about a flashy entrance. Those inconsiderate dragons…"

The red stallion looked around at his dragon armada. He wore a golden necklace with an emerald in the center. The emerald gleamed, then let out a bright green glow that spread over the crowd. "My fellow servants and comrades… It is time! We almost reach our goal now. It is time to strike war against the ponies, and beat them for good. It is time! The ponies have oppressed and apprehended us for eras. They have banished us to the pathetic Bad Lands and dragon wastelands that we previously possessed. They stepped over us, treated us as _their_inferiors… When _we_ are the ultimate, superior species. Our force is supreme, higher than their magic. So let us get together and beat them to the ground! Let us get together and make them bow before us, before we CRUSH them!"

The dragons stomped their claws, flapped their wings, and roared in a crowded agreement. They soon grew into a near rampage while they supported their leader quite violently. After another flash of the leader's amulet, they calmed down somewhat, but continued to shout and roar their support.

Modest glanced at Luna, then looked up at the leader of the dragons that still watched them with a cold expression. "Well… We found the source of the problem. He's definitely it, no doubt about it now."

Luna nodded while she glared at the hybrid. She was gritting her teeth, trying hard to compose herself and keep her anger in check. "I wonder where Princess Talia and her subjects are being kept prisoner…" She looked at the soldiers behind them and watched them shake their heads. "No sign of them yet…"

* * *

Miseria covered a yawn with her hoof and watched while Discord rounded up a stock of wild, unstable, discarded creations for her to reuse. She smiled once he managed to trap them in cotton candy, and crouched to prepare another spell before they ran wild again. "C'mon! I'm ready this time!"

Discord sighed and scratched his chin. "Are you sure about that? Because last time it was pretty hard to get all that grass juice off the tree patches you created in the-whoa!" He bent down to dodge a blast of magic that flew past him and swirled around the air. "Watch out!"

Miseria shut her eyes while she concentrated in directing the blast of magic. She gasped, then grunted when it blew up near her face. "Ow! That hurt…" She shook her head quickly and rubbed her cheek.

Discord sighed again and shook his head. _That wasn't it, either…_

Miseria glared at the flames that were caused by the spell. Before she could do anything to them, though, they blew a raspberry at her and quickly mocked her. "Grrn… Why, you…!"

"Easy now, Miseria. I shouldn't have to keep reminding you." At the snap of his fingers, Discord disappeared the mess around them again, before she lost her temper. "Remember to stay calm no matter what. Our powers get more dangerous when we lose our temper and become angry. I know you can do this. You've been getting… better… You just need some more practice, it's not so hard."

She gave him a sharp glare and a raised eyebrow, but stayed quiet while she folded her front legs.

Discord chuckled nervously and shrugged. "W-well, if you put your mind to it, it will most certainly work. Oh, do trust me, it's a thousand times better than plowing a field for a while day. Much, much easier."

_He keeps saying that… _She tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"Er, nothing, never mind. Point is… You have to give it another try, little sister. Try until you get."

She let out an irritated sigh. "But this is so hard!" She pouted and sat in the air. She had just finished appearing random vegetables out of thin air, and had watched them go bad and attack the animals nearby. "How did _you_ ever manage to do this?! It's not even fun!"

Discord floated next to her and patted her shoulder. "I managed by reducing the power of my magic and creating it from my positive emotion and ideas, rather than the bad, utterly crazy ones. Other 'negative' thoughts and emotions didn't have such… good results." He held her close while she rubbed her eyes. "So don't give up… You're doing just fine. You have the right idea. Go ahead and do your best."

Miseria sighed and groaned. "But…"

Discord held her chin and smiled at her. "I know you're tired, dear… But you've got to try."

She stared at him with a tired and puzzled look. "...How can I feel and think anything positive from Madness and Destruction? There's no such thing, is there?"

Discord stretched and covered his own yawns. Using his powers for so long was not what tired him out… It was watching over Miseria's every move to keep track of all her failed magical creations (to make sure they harmed nopony), and keeping her steady and focused on the task… while at the same time keeping her spirits high, so she was cooperative and willing to complete the exercise.

_Phew! Now, __**that**__ is the most exhausting work I've ever done…_ He looked up and felt not just a bit glad when he noticed the dark sky that held the moon high above them.

He looked back at Miseria, who still awaited an answer. "You just have to think of… Well, just of what makes you happy. We'll spend some more time on this tomorrow, to focus on your happy thoughts." He wrapped his tail around her and carried her off the floor. "Deal?"

Miseria yawned again, feeling as though she would fall asleep any second. "Okay… But… But just let me…" Before she finished speaking, she walked out of Discord's tail, determined to try and perhaps succeed that last time. She shut her eyes closed and concentrated again after she regained her balance.

As the tangelo magic aura appeared around her horn, Miseria remembered the games that she and Discord played ever since they met. She recalled all of the fun they had, and how close they had gotten to one another in that short time. Sure, she manipulated things to go her way shortly afterwards, but… She had genuine fun, and the best of time with him, and she considered those moments the most memorable of all.

Discord tilted his head a bit while he watched her. He noticed the powerful spell that her horn was ready to cast. "Oh, my… That's right, you're almost there!" _Maybe she'll do it tonight after all…_

A beautiful flower sprouted from the ground after Miseria cast her spell. It glowed in a lot of different colors, gleaming under the moonlight. It seemed to shine with light of its own.

Miseria gasped as she looked at the flower, then smiled proudly. "Brother, I… I did it!"

"Oh, that's right. So it would seem-"

She jumped into his arms and hugged his neck while she spoke excitedly. "I did it! I really did it! It worked! I thought of something that made me the happiest and got the spell to work! Look at it!"

"Yes, Miseria, I can see-"

"Oh, brother, thank you! You're the best! I didn't think I'd actually make it! I did! Oh, isn't it pretty? I love it! You're the best, look what I can do now! You're the best teacher in the whole world!"

Discord blushed a bit and chuckled while he patted her head. "Well, I don't know about that-"

She ignored his grunts and efforts to breathe when she hugged him tightly once again. "I promise that I'll keep thinking of you every time I want to do this, brother. I swear I will! That will help me make more nice stuff like this! You like them, don't you? I'm doing a good job, aren't I?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"Why, of course you are, Miseria. I love it! Oh, asking _me_ if chaotic things are good, that's an understatement! I must commend you on your efforts. Entertaining, worthwhile chaos is what we _both_ will dedicate ourselves to from now on. If you think about it… Heh, we might be in a very pleasant diet of chaos. I know we're both going to enjoy it, especially if we help one another."

Miseria giggled and squirmed a bit while Discord tickled her. "Oh, stop! Brother!"

"I definitely enjoy the progress that you're making. I couldn't be more proud of you for starting so well."

"That's good…" She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She smiled and tilted her head back while he patted it. "I'm going to think of all the good things we've done together so far… I'm going to use my magic just like you do…" She snuggled against him and began to fall asleep in his arms.

Discord chuckled and patted her head while he turned around. "Well, you'll need more practice, though. You need to develop stamina… This little training session wore you out completely! It won't do, will it?"

Not that he was one to talk. He was quite exhausted himself, but he convinced himself that he had to keep up a strong front for her sake. He seemed to be quite her beloved role model, after all… He looked at her and sighed when her eyes started to close, despite her efforts to keep them open.

"B-but I… I wanna…"

"Don't worry, this isn't the end of our training by a longshot. There's still a lot to learn, room for more improvement. So, we'll practice another day, what do you say? We've both had enough chaos for today."

Miseria gave her an odd look and a smile, but sighed and nodded in agreement. "Okay, brother…"

He slid her down his shoulder and body, then wrapped his tail around her to keep her warm. He started to walk after she nuzzled her tail and yawn again. "Alright, we're settled down. There's only a few things to take care of now. We'll clean up the remain of the mess and then we'll-"

He stopped when he heard Miseria's soft snores that came from behind him. "Hm? Miseria?" He looked back and found her limp in his tail, already fast asleep. "Hm… Well, figures." He lifted her with his tail a bit, watching her move like a doll in his tail. "When it comes to cleaning you're out like a light. What a classic. Sure, leave all the chores to the older siblings, of course…"

The rest of the scattered chaos disappeared with a snap of Discord's fingers. It was effortlessly gone within a few seconds, until they were left with practically a bare, recovering clearing.

His eyes stopped upon the glowing, beautiful flower that Miseria had created. "Hm…" He tilted his head to the side, then lowered down to take a good look at the little plant. He still held Miseria in his raised tail while he studied the different gleaming colors of the petals. "Hm… Now, I wonder just how long this little flower will last… Maybe longer than the others for sure… Maybe it will…"

Shortly after Miseria had fallen asleep, the flower curved down and withered, quickly losing its color. It a strange, dark brown object that was no longer a flower, with thorns that hissed and threatened.

"...Last." Discord looked at the withered thing and sighed. He glanced back at Miseria while she muttered in her sleep. _Well, what a surprise. She failed again. But that just won't do, will it…?_

He looked at the failed creation and turned it back into the beautiful flower it was, with a snap of his lion paw fingers. He also enchanted it to ensure it would keep that bedazzling, lovely appearance permanently.

After all, Miseria had put a lot of effort into that final attempt, and had taken such great pride when she finally succeeded, even if it had been just a minor thing. To her, it was an amazing achievement that he did not want to foil and disappoint. He had to help keep her motivated.

"Well, you know what, little sister? You get great points for trying." He laid Miseria down beside the flower, caressed her mane, then gave her an affectionate, gentle nudge with his nose while she stretched and curled into a ball to sleep comfortably.

"This is it, then. Goodnight for you, dear. I have to get going…" He rubbed his neck, then let out a tired sigh. "Boy, this took much longer than I thought." Despite feeling tired, he gave her a smile and started to sneak away from her while she slept soundly. He watched his step to make sure that he did not trip or step on anything that would make a loud noise or spontaneously start wandering around.

_It actually didn't go that bad, considering her situation and the strength of her powers… Well, if she keeps this up, we might prove those uptight ponies wrong after all, my dear…_ Discord smirked and chuckled while he floated away. He looked up at the palace, where he knew that Celestia awaited him, after perhaps taking care of some royal duties that did not drain her too much of energy.

He sneaked past the guards, because he didn't feel like giving any explanations to anypony that did not need it. For a second, he thought about seeing Fluttershy again.

_We do need to spend some time together… But… You know what? Like many other things, I'm sure that can wait just a little longer. She won't mind, of course!_ He appeared inside Celestia's room, floating above her in the air while she finished some reports.

She looked up and smiled at him. "How did everything go, then?"

"Oh, I'm so glad we can finally get back here and… Oh. Well, she didn't do perfectly, but she didn't do so bad. I thought she did great, considering it's her first time. She put quite some effort, and was actually very patient and decent to handle. She's really into this, Celestia. I can tell."

"I'm glad… I'm happy for her, Discord. I know this is the best for her. Believe me, I care about her now. I want her to have the same opportunities you do. I'm sure you two will be happy together, as soon as she can adapt to this world."

"Oh, she will… She just has to get a bit more practice. She's determined, and that's what matters." Discord nuzzled Celestia, making her giggle a bit. "Now, let's go back to us, shall we? I've been practicing some stealthy methods myself that are sure to surprise you. I really don't like the fact that I've become so predictable that you can just know when I am around now. I ought to fix that."

Celestia smiled and laid back on the bed once he disappeared her paperwork. Then she sighed a bit once he kissed her. _I really missed this… It's worth working so much to get this as a reward._ She let him pat her mane, then nuzzled into his neck once he held her closer again.

* * *

Phew! Another chapter finished just at the end of this unbearable break. Too bad I wasn't able to post it earlier. I'm not sure it's really all that good, though… I didn't really know how to go about it at the end, and it'll probably be noticed. Somehow all my inspiration got zapped away by my stupid problems at home; I'm really sorry about that, and hope to do a better job next chapter.

I think I'm overdoing it with the romance between Discord and Celestia. Then again, this is a Dislestia story, so it might still be tolerated. The sibling scene was also very cute, but… It may also have overdone it. To balance it, there was the suspenseful, action scene of the Southern Kingdom, with Luna and Modest. The villain made an appearance! Somewhat, kind of.

I feel like this is a repetition of the previous chapter, and do feel awful about that, too. But still, I hope you like it, and am certain that the next chapter will be better. I will put a lot of effort into it.

Dragons… Such delicately seen creatures, huh? They are not precisely the bad guys… That dragon-pony hybrid is. Obviously. Yes, he's the dragon pony that Discord sleep-talked about on a previous chapter. Discord has an uncanny ability to somewhat mumble about the upcoming future in his sleep. It's not the first time that has happened.


	4. Lost Night Graced by the Empire

**Lost Night Graced by the Empire**

It had been a few hours since Discord arrived in Celestia's room. They spent a wonderful time together to relax and comfort one another about the upcoming, stressful events that would probably once again put the fate of Equestria in their shoulders. It felt nice, to be able to talk for those hours and catch up with one another about their feelings and experiences.

After a few minutes of silence, Celestia sighed and looked up at Discord, who lay beneath her, his head rested against the headboard. "...Well, I do hope that your day was better than mine. There were plenty of worrisome, time-consuming meetings… So many reports to look over, things to supervise…"

"Oh, please, don't go on! It's exhausting enough to hear that much." He stretched a little, then embraced her again. "As I said, Miseria was surprisingly motivated, considering how distasteful the exercise was. I can't believe we spent the whole day on it… She's got the hang of it a bit, or at least the right intention… However, I'm afraid that her magic may be unlikely for the goal. You know, it might be too unstable for her to control. I've seen it myself… No matter how hard she tries; everything that she creates withers."

Celestia looked thoughtful for a few seconds, looking aside while Discord nuzzled her. "Hm… Yes, I thought as much, you know… I figured it would be very difficult for you two to manage such a thing on your own."

Discord blinked and looked at her. "So you'd already thought of that, hm?"

She smiled and nodded at him. "Yes. I brought it up with the council this afternoon, actually. We may have agreed on what may be the best solution for this problem." She put a hoof over his paw. "I promised you that no harm would come to Miseria. I promised we would find a way to hold her destructive powers back without harming or forcing her to do anything. And, Discord, I believe I've kept my word."

Her horn glowed with her golden magic to summon a book from the shelf. Once it was levitated in front of her, she flipped through the pages a bit quickly, while he looked over her shoulder. "Ah, here it is. Look."

She showed the chapter that she was looking for, and showed it to him; the picture and information of a collar that looked like a necklace (similar shape as Luna's and hers) made of beautiful crystal, with powerful stone outlines and different gems.

He blinked and glanced at the picture when she raised the book a bit. "Ah, look at that. Now, there's something that Rarity would definitely fawn all over." He chuckled a bit while he looked at the collar.

She smiled a bit, then read over the text. "This is 'The Grace of the Empire', Discord."

"Oh, what a pretty name. Quite fitting… Albeit a bit… Hm, scandalous?"

"As you may have guessed, it was crafted in the Crystal Empire a long, long time ago, by Queen Dream Song herself, and the wisest, most skilled unicorns within her council and Magic Guard. Queen Dream Song risked everything in order to hide it from Sombra, when she was defeated beyond recovery. Her plan to use the Grace failed, as it required her intact power and strength to unleash it upon Sombra… And she was no longer in her best form."

She looked up at Discord after he raised an eyebrow at her. "She did not leave it completely unavailable for the Empire's future use, were they to need it. Only her daughter would be able to find it. So, after all this time, it finally appeared before Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, and Red Feather, just when we all need its power the most." She sighed with relief, looking at the picture of the collar again.

"Hm… Its power, you say? Sounds quite like a serious object to be cautious of."

"It is. The Grace of the Empire has the power to take away practically all of the wearer's magic power and energy, even natural energy among creatures that would not necessarily be magic. I think it would be strong enough to make even _you_ completely powerless." She looked at Discord to see his alarmed expression and kissed his cheek to comfort him. "Oh, don't worry. I told you I would keep my promise, didn't I?"

"But… But, Celestia, if what you say it's true…"

"It was gone from the knowledge of the world for so long that I never even thought of it before. I thought it was some tale that I soon forgot about… I actually… I actually remember my mother and father once speaking of an idea very similar to this… I think they were close friends with Queen Dream Song."

"Celestia! Listen to me! Aren't you the slightest bit worried that it may —?"

"Discord, I would have expected you of all to figure this out. You trust me after all, don't you?" She smiled at him and tapped his chest with her hoof. "Listen… With the magnitude of Miseria's power… I daresay it would be on par with that of The Grace of the Empire's; maybe a bit lower or higher. It does not really matter all that much. The council and I made very close, accurate calculations during our meetings. We concluded that it would actually just weigh her power down to a _stable_ level that would be close to yours. It wouldn't make that much of a difference, then, don't you think? She would no longer summon destruction with every attempt of her magic. Her powers would be much easier for her to control and understand, and easier for you to lead in the right direction. It wouldn't stress her out as much, I believe."

Discord stared at the book and the chapter's content while Celestia gave her explanation. When she was done, he simply wrapped his tail around hers, without saying much for some seconds. "Well, I'll have to convince her, Celestia. It's not a definite yes, but… With a little talking and persuasion…"

She smiled and nuzzled him when he smirked, then looked at the book when he levitated it.

"I'm sure I might get some positive results. The little sister _is_ motivated with me, after all."

"I understand that it won't be easy. That is why I will give you all the support and time that you both need to succeed. It doesn't matter how long it takes, though… I can already see that she's not bad, just like _you_ are not bad, either." She kissed him, then put the book away, on the bedside table.

He chuckled and kissed her back, holding the kiss for a few seconds. "Hmm… You…" He caressed her face and held him against his chest. "You sure have grown wise in all these centuries, Celestia… I'm impressed."

"Are you really? Wisdom is something that I must possess in order to rule Equestria as its princess, Discord. I still have much to learn, and am trying my best…"

"You still impress me, though. I didn't have much of a chance to see you grow; I only sensed your growth, and the rising level of your power. I still remember that young princess back then, with a cute, pink mane that I almost turned into sprinkled cotton candy…"

"Oh, don't remind me. It's not just my duty to think of the best for us all… Now it's something that I truly enjoy. I still like to learn and experience as much as possible. Guess it's good for you."

"Speaking of duties and all those serious things… Where's Luna again?" He tilted his head to the side, then smiled as he levitated her crown off her head.

Celestia laughed a bit, then relax. "Oh, you know that, don't you? She and Modest went out on a mission together. They left to the Southern Lands, to see if they could be of any help. After Luna learned of the distress message sent from Princess Talia, she couldn't stay put."

Discord looked up in thought. "Well… I'm not sure that might have been a good idea…" He smiled at Celestia when she gave him a questioning look. "What if something comes up?"

"They'll do their best, I'm sure. Luna would not want to fail the mission, you know how determined she can be. And quite stubborn, too." She chuckled with Discord, then nuzzled against him again. "We won't leave them alone, either. As soon as they need reinforcements, they will be sent. But I do need to take care of things here in Equestria. There's still a lot to get done to fix things up…"

Discord grinned at her and stroked her mane while holding her close. He chuckled again when he saw that a slight blush crept over her face. "I'm impressed, Tia. Again. Your concentration is nearly flawless now. Boy, you sure have grown, haven't you? Quite the lady you are—"

"Oh, hush, Discord. You're such a tease. You've hardly changed." She played with his beard before reaching up for his ear to bite it playfully, before giggling.

"Is that so?" He laid beside her once she turned to lay on her stomach. "I'm sure I could help you stay relaxed and focused while you work." Before she could reach out for the papers that he had scattered on the floor, he tickled her side with the tip of his tail. "Well, I don't know about _focused_, to be honest…"

Celestia laughed and looked at him again. "You always have liked these games, haven't you…" She sighed and picked the papers up with her magic. "You just loved catching us off guard with this." She smiled and looked at his tail while she put the papers inside an envelope.

"No, dear. I just loved to make you laugh. It's always been such an exquisite privilege. Your laughter and Luna's… I don't think I'll ever get enough of it."

"Well, your laughter wasn't that bad, either." She closed the envelope and sealed it with a stamp, stacking it over some books and other papers and scrolls. "I love spending these moments with you. I'm as eager as you are to share them more often. And… perhaps…" She nuzzled him and watched him levitate the stacked objects. "I'd love to display some affection for you out in the open."

She smiled knowingly while she caught the objects that he dropped in slight surprise. "Would you have a problem with that? It's something I'd really like to do."

Discord smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Not at all, dear. Not at all… In fact, I find it quite flattering, that you would wish to make it public… Isn't that a surprise!"

"A surprise I have no problem with, either."

"Heh, heh. I wonder what all those ponies would think of our affair. Don't you?"

"I'm glad you don't mind. It just didn't feel right, to hide it any longer." She glanced at him while he packed the objects in a box. "And, it's not an 'affair', Discord." She kissed his lips, then patted his chest. "It's a _relationship._ There's plenty of difference between the two."

It was Discord's turn to blush while he stared at him. "A relationship. You and I…" _She and I have a __**relationship**__… Whoa, now, who'd have ever thought…?_ He smiled and nodded while he kissed her cheek and held her hoof. "I like the sound of that."

"That's right. Now, then… Since we've made that clear, I'll send those to the Royal Guard and the Royal Council. They'll need them to organize some—"

"Allow me, won't you?" He snapped his fingers and disappeared the box. "We also ought to prepare some supplies. If Luna and the prince left with the army, they'll need constant supplies sent to them so they'll last out there. It's quite the journey, to the Southern Kingdom."

"I know. I also listed that in the documents sent to the council. They'll take care of that. Now, while we're together…" She smiled and nudged him a bit. "Why don't we try to sort out the dragon issue? I'm sure you'll be a lot of help." She pulled out a scroll and a quill, and began to discuss with Discord about the several issues that the council had touched upon regarding the problem in the Southern Lands.

They made notes of their opinions and ideas for solutions or things to bring up to meetings, and before long, found themselves with a few full scrolls, actually having a good time while they set a whole lot of strategies in motion between them, the council, and the Royal Guard.

Celestia sighed and leaned against him, glancing at the floor while she thought about their 'relationship'. She was pretty sure that Discord was thinking the same thing, especially after they had worked through the notions and discussable issues so well together. "I could get used to this, Discord. I really, really could."

Night continued to pass, engulfing the ruined Southern Lands in darkness that still prevailed despite the torches and fires that the dragons set out all around. It merely looked like a sea of darkness with a few flickering lights floating along.

Despite the time, dragons continued to arrive constantly to the capital city of the kingdom. Luna had studied it in her history lessons, and had caught up with the different changes it underwent through the passing time. She had been fascinated, and even now she kept her admiration of the kingdom, despite its state.

But Modest had seen it on a continuous basis through his life. The Western and the Southern Kingdoms were allies. Modest had spent plenty of his childhood breaks in that kingdom, enjoying the tropical atmosphere, and the exotic feeling that surrounded the land and even the towns. The feeling of perhaps some kind of ancient civilization within a deep, great jungle still remained within them all, despite the modern era in which all of the kingdoms lived to keep up with times. Villages were no longer so small or 'folkloric', but towns as developed as Equestria's Ponyville or even Cloudsdale, for the Southern Kingdom also had its proud population of brave little winged souls, and valiant unicorn characters.

The capital city that they had infiltrated, Lakandon, was the Southern equivalent of Equestria's Canterlot, and had, at one point, held all the splendor and magnificence that a capital city was famous and loved for. He did not forget that, or any of the other wonders of the kingdom that he had known.

He remembered it all with sadness and resentment, not unlike Luna. However, he did his best to hold his anger and think things through. _We're all they have now_, he thought, every time he felt the urge to jump in and intercede for a mistreated Southern pony that he could hear within the broken prison. _Equestria is all they have now. We can't afford to blow our cover and leave ourselves vulnerable as well._

With that determined, but unhappy mindset, Modest did his best to keep Luna in line, and discuss with her and the captain of their army the best situation in which they would carry out their strategies.

Meanwhile, the dragon-winged stallion made his way through the ruined halls of the palace. He stared mockingly at the broken decorations and artifacts that had held great value to the Southerners. He stepped on them and rejoiced at their shatter, as he did at the anguished, pained cries of his many prisoners.

He walked past his dragon servants and subordinates, ignoring their various demands, queries, and claims. He even roared at others to get out of his way. If, by odd chance, he found one of the dragons about to prey on one of the few pony slaves, he held him back harshly and made sure both the dragon and the pony were tortured. After all, he still had priority with the meal that the useless ponies provided.

He stepped down the black stone stairs that led to the dungeons, and looked around. He actually liked the dungeons better out of the entire palace. They were beautifully crafted, despite being just stone and iron. They were not crude like others he had seen and even been in. They were royal masterpieces of the palace themselves, and considered them worthy of admiration by other ponies that simply took delight in the ridiculous exotic fragrance of that world, which held much more to it than it seemed.

Rich iron, for instance. It was the most remarkable crafter in irons and other metal pieces. Never had he seen work finer than in Lakandon, and was glad he would be able to take full advantage of the blacksmiths while they lived. Those would be the ponies that he would spare the longest, until he had perhaps a good few generations that were absolutely loyal to him and easy to manage. Iron crafts from the Southern Kingdom, be they constructions, weaponry, or any other, even for labor, were nothing to underestimate.

He looked into one of the large, empty, dark cells, blocked by black bars both at the entrance and the small window. There was only one prisoner in that cell, and he saw that she slept uneasily, or at least, so it seemed, for she lay down on her hooves, her head lowered, her wings folded. She did not even shiver from the cold breeze that constantly blew, or by the smoke that he let his dragons blow inside.

He lifted one of his red and black hooves, banging on the bars to startle the princess awake, and watch her while she composed herself and backed further against the wall. "Hello, Talia. I wonder if that willful, blade-sharp character of yours has been dulled out of shape now…"

The bright yellow alicorn that stayed close to the wall, inside the cell, glared at him with her still-fierce, jade green eyes. Her mane was deep violet, cut short, with the straight ends framing her face, like curtains. She was beautiful and looked young (perhaps a few years older than Modest), but above all spirited and strong.

She tried to move her hooves again, but the chains tied to her held her in place. The cold, black chains and the shackles had replaced the green jewelry accessories that she had worn with pride till her defeat. She had also been humiliatingly stripped of her traditional royal clothing, like her cloak, feathers, weaved and beaded leg bands, and even the _battle mask_ that she and the royals before her took pride and honor in wearing during battles and before the enemy (even while imprisoned). Only her crown had been left to her, though the once beautiful silver-colored still was now singed and slightly bent. But she still held her head high before the cruel, mocking hybrid creature that stood before her.

"It's 'Princess Talia María Cobalto de Acero' for the likes of you. What do you want now?" She spoke in a collected, yet obviously upset and furious voice that was just slightly low, and laced with the accent of her kingdom's ponyfolk.

The dragon-stallion paced in front of her cell, chuckling while he watched her struggle. "What do I want? It's easy. I want to remind you of my offer, my dear, and propose it anew."

Talia grimaced and shook her head. "My answer is still no. Burn the legacy of my ancestors… Yes, their temples. It hurts me so to have to sacrifice them to your brutes, but I will not turn myself in to you. I am all the hope my citizens have left. I will not let _you_ have it; not the hope of my kingdom."

"Ohh… That's rich. So _you_ are the hope of your kingdom?"

"No, you…" She stopped herself while he smirked, deciding that she would not give him the satisfaction of watching her fall to his level. "No. I embody it, there's a different. If I myself still give them hope, then it's good. But I myself hold hope in higher power. The power of our joined—"

"Anyway, as I was saying… You're the hope of your land. Quite. It's true, because my interests lay on the silly, old relic temples no longer… Those stones don't shine. They hold no value or taste to us. They're good to us for taste… We want the _meat_, princess; their delicious flesh. You understand, don't you? Little Princess of the Iron Savages?"

Talia gasped; her eyes opened wider with realization. "No!"

"Glad we're understanding each other. Here is your offer, Talia: your union in marriage to me. Yes, marry me, and not only will I let your ponies live till they starve to death… I might even let you save two ponies instead of one. Two ponies released in… Well, to keep tradition, how about in a new little ritual, like those silly ones you and your ponies have always fooled around with?"

"_Como te atreves a insultarme así_…" She shifted in her hooves uncomfortably, though she kept her glare upon the merciless hybrid. "Why must you do this to us?! My kingdom is innocent! We have done nothing to you or the dragons! We stay clear of them, actually, and you know this! None of the kingdoms have damaged you, and Equestria… Oh, I know you are after Equestria. But to hit us all like this?! You are—"

The hybrid growled and interrupted the princess before she could continue with her protests. His mane turned into a claw, surrounded by his smoke aura. "Come now, Princess Talia. Don't be so stubborn and foolish. I know you're better than this." He smirked while he caressed her face with the claw, after it floated through the cage. "I would hate to see a beautiful thing like you stuck here till the end of your days…"

Talia grimaced and stared at him while he continued to try to touch her.

"You could be Queen of the Dragon Realms; Queen of the new world made by dragons. It would be superb."

She tried to move away from him and the smoke he created. "Queen of a place like the ruins you've created? You want me to rule with a creature like you by my side, all the time? I don't think so, Pyromedes. I could never do that, and never will. I would rather die, I swear. I already have my kingdom, which I cherish."

"Hmph. Yes, some good _that _will do for them, once they're burned to ashes. You will be nothing but a pretty prisoner in here, and they will be snacks for my servants, and for me. Your kingdom is basically ashes already, Talia. There's nothing for you to rule over. It's only our land now."

Princess Talia moved away from his mane again. "Why can't you rule your own lands? Dragons have their reign, their areas to reside and live in. They have their territory! We have respected it, we always have. Pyromedes, just leave us alone! Go back to your land before you destroy us all. Just let us—"

"You call those deserted wastes a 'reign'?! A place to live in decency, with no hunger or thirst, or disease… **That** is our 'reign'?! Damn you! Arrogant pests—you don't even know what you say! Perhaps you damn hooved vermin should spend more than three hundred years trapped and forsaken in there… and see how _you_ like it! I doubt you'd last a year in that hell, princess."

He spoke in a harsh, raised voice, while his rising temper also made the temperature within her cell rise as well, high enough to make her wince and fidget uncomfortably. "This world is ours by right, Talia. We will not have your hoofed creatures snatching it from us any longer. Not one day will you have in the land of plenty and richness that belongs to us! I will not allow it! If you try to take it back, Talia… I will make sure that we beat you back where you belong… You'll be the bones of our discarded meal. You belong in the bottom of the food chain. That's _always_ been your place!"

Talia winced and cried out before she fell on the cooling floor. She winced again and rubbed her hooves, looking at them. She sighed when she saw that she had gotten no burns. "...We could share the land, Pyromedes… As we always have. What you say is not true. Ponies have always shared the land that they inhabit with each and every creature. Dragons are not excluded, they never have been."

She looked up at him and pushed herself up once her hooves stopped hurting. "We actually have had no problems with dragon migrations until now. No pony kingdom has had that many complaints, I would know that. I care for the other kingdoms and their problems; I try to provide them with answers, as they do with me. Their complaints against the dragons have not been significant. We have allowed dragons to pass by our lands… We have even let them take what supplies they might need through their passage and journey. We have been fair to creatures that show towards us only hostility, treachery, hatred, ingratitude, segregation, danger and general unkindness in return. Now you show not only that, but—"

Pyro snarled to interrupt her. He turned around. "I'll hear no more of it. If anyone has segregated dragons from your precious perfection and dreamlands, it's been you! _You_, pony savages!"

Talia stared at him while he stomped on the ground and paced around, cursing ponies under his breath. "_Tienes miedo._ You're just afraid, Pyro." She closed her eyes a bit when Pyro blew smoke towards her, but she did not retract from her fact. "Deep inside, I know you are a cowering creature that has never belonged anywhere, and never will. You always will be banned to the outlines of our society."

Pyro turned away and continued to pace around while he tried to ignore her, but her words were striking a nerve, no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise. He took a breath to calm down, but she continued.

"You have no power of your own, so you use violence and the cruelty in your heart to force the innocent to fear you. You enslave every creature that you can manipulate, and those that you cannot, you destroy. You force them all to give you a place where you do not belong. To give you respect that you do not deserve, but mostly _fear_." She remained firm and determined, even though she knew she was upsetting Pyro quite a bit. She intended to do so. "You don't belong with us or the dragons, Pyromedes. You don't belong anywhere."

"You soon won't have a place to belong to, either, princess. I'll make sure of that. Your kingdom will soon be completely destroyed. What isn't in flames will be home for us dragons. Ponies won't have a place or use in our world. I suppose you will be satisfied, then."

"No, just disappointed."

"Like I care what you feel. I'd have you dead, you know, if it wasn't—"

"See? You will control us, oppress us, and push us as hard as you can, to make sure that we belong to you. You'll force us around instead, to feel… complete." She narrowed her eyes and spoke a bit quietly, though still serious. "It doesn't matter what you become, Pyro… You always will be little more than the cowering, misunderstood creature that cannot wash away the hated stigma that he carries. You won't ever fit in anywhere, no matter how many times you destroy it to your liking. Creatures like you do not get very far in the world, even with force. You won't get away with this, be sure of it. You are pitiful, unwanted by no one, and hated by everyone. Hated because you are different, made useless by the world."

His eyes widened after she spoke again. Black, hot smoke seeped out of his mouth while he turned around and glare at her menacingly. "I've had ENOUGH! I don't care what you say—your attitude won't last for long! I'll destroy it like I did with your kingdom! All of you pests WILL bow to me or simply stop existing! You can't stop one, no one can!" He stomped his hoof against the stone floor with such force that he made her cell rumble and knock her down to the ground again.

Talia grunted and pushed herself up, panting a bit. She was still determined despite his harassment. "...I won't. I will _not_. I will not bow to you, or accept you, ever. _No te voy a dar el gusto._ You have not earned the respect of my kingdom, or my respect and acceptance as a leader. You are _not_ a leader and will never be."

"I said, we'll see about that. What do you know? You'll probably spend the rest of your life chained in this cell, rotting away like the rest of your kind. It will be a fitting end for all of you."

"And when everyone stares at you in fear and contempt… with hatred and darkness in their hearts threatening to take them over against you… Will you be satisfied _then_? Is that when you will stop? It won't ever be true acceptance. They won't ever see you as a leader. They won't follow you, but fear you. You STILL won't belong there! You'll have fears yourself, because you will never know when someone will rise to defeat you. Even if you kill all of us ponies… The dragons will never accept you, even if you give them all the chance to get rid of us and take possession of our empty land. They will hate you for enslaving them. Other creatures will avoid you. That is, if you don't kill them, like you plan to do with us. How will anyone accept you and give you a sense of belonging? How will you live with yourself then?"

Pyro snarled and threw her against the wall with his fiery energy. "Manipulative wench… I'm done with you. Tomorrow will be a busy morning…" He chuckled darkly while Talia tried to push herself up. He looked around at the imprisoned ponies that remained mostly silent, though frightened, angry, and concerned for their princess. "All of these useless ponies will be our breakfast. And I won't negotiate with you anymore."

Talia gasped and tried to get to the bars of her cell, but the chains pulled her back. "No! Ngh!" She struggled, and often tried to pry the black stone collar her from around neck, but it was useless. The gem in the center glowed with every movement, and it felt as heavy as lead when she tried to pull it off, leaving her even more exhausted. "Ngh… Just… Rgh! Get off!"

The light blue dragon that Pyro kept as one of his personal slaves glared once he went back to the throne room. Her yellow eyes were nearly lit with the hatred in them. "Hmph. My—_how_ _thoughtful_ of you, my king. Your offering of ponies is so considerate… How will we ever repay you? Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe we _don't_ like ponies? They're way too sweet. Many of us actually hate even eating them. I don't know how you can stand them. We were fine the way we were… In our lands that were far, far away from these creatures."

"I could care less about what any of you fools want or think. You're useless. You would still be starving in those rotting trenches that you called your home, had I not interfered. You're just my pawns now, ever so grateful for my rescuing you." He sat on the throne and stretched as he lit a few tapestries on fire. "What matters is that you all serve me as my army. It's all that you can do."

The young dragon rolled her eyes, then looked down at the dark gray collar with a glowing ruby on the center. It was worn not only by her, but by the other dragons that Pyro commanded. The jewel encrusted on the stone collar glowed whenever the spell of Pyro's own necklace was activated.

She sighed with relief when she saw that it was not glowing, effecting its magic on her yet. "You know… This magic spell necklace of yours? It's bound to break eventually. Everyone knows that magic that doesn't belong to someone fades away, because they can't keep it up. They don't have the power. And we all know it's not even _your_ magic, is it?"

Pyro glared at her and snarled silently. "It belongs to me now, so it's mine."

"Hah! You wish! You stole it from a sorcerer you found on your way here, didn't you? You're not tricking me, you thug. In any case, dragons of _any_ kind don't have magic. We're immune to it, for starters. Sort of."

Pyro rolled his eyes and kept walking. "For all you know, this amulet might take a long, long time to malfunction. It might even not, in the first place. As I said, it belongs to me now. What would you know?"

The dragon chuckled. "I bet things won't end up too well for you when that happens. When the spell fades away, making that amulet nothing but a pretty, shiny, useless thing. The dragons will have your hide."

"Don't count on it, idiot. Once I have spilled the princesses' blood everywhere to make a path for my new kingdom, I'll gather your comrades and reveal my hidden gemstone mines to them. The mines I have taken away from previous foes, like ponies and other creatures that didn't stand a chance… I wonder how many of your foolish brothers and sisters will butcher one another for those mines…" He yanked on the chain bound to her collar and smirked when she winced and grunted.

She fell on the floor, but quickly pulled herself up to a crouch. "Why, you…!" She snarled, and charged at him once she finally lost her temper. "I'll rip you apart once and for all!"

Pyro calmly sat on the throne, and watched as the amulet glowed. He saw that the glow reflected on the female dragon's eyes, then surrounded her body with magic energy.

She gasped and cried out when her body was forced to stop and lay down on the ground. She growled, and tried to struggle. "Let me go! Stop it! Oh, I hate you…!"

"Everyone knows that. Like it's ever really stopped me from beating every single one of you fools. Be grateful I'm just mildly teaching you some manners. Next time you act up, I assure you, it won't be so nice. You won't be so lucky. Am I clear?" He blew smoke on her before he cast her aside and started to eat some jewels.

Modest looked back at Luna and waved her over. They had managed to sneak around the palace, through one of the hidden tunnels that he had fortunately remembered. He whispered to her once she came close. "Princess, this way!" He walked forward and opened the small trapdoor. "Thank goodness it's still here…"

Luna approached Modest, and quietly looked around the tunnel that they walked through. She also watched out for dragons once they reached the corridors of the now dark, dark palace. Everything was broken; for some reason, it unnerved her, gave her a very bad feeling about things. But, other than that, the abandoned hallway seemed clear for them to pass.

"Well, they're not here… So the princess and civilians must be kept in the dungeons. No other place. We'll have to leave the army behind, there's no way they'll be able to come with us."

"Then to the dungeons it is. It should be in our left, some stories down… I can get us there without being noticed. It looks like they haven't discovered any of the passageways that Talia's family renovated for use." He smiled and led her forward. "We'll reach them pretty soon, but what's the plan then?"

He blinked when Luna's horn glowed a bit, shrouding them in dark fog that helped them blend with the darkness of the night. "Great idea. We should be almost invisible with this…"

"We need to get everypony out, as many as we can. They're potential hostages for the dragons, so as long as they're around, we won't be able to do everything we can to help. We'll be careful; we sure don't want any attention to ourselves. I hope the distressed citizens can understand that."

"If we have the army make a diversion out there, I'm sure we'll have even more time. Dragons aren't very smart, but they're very impulsive. They'll fall for it and chase right after them. I'm sure they'll hold off on their own while we get the others out. We got the best with us."

Luna nodded and walked after them as they sneaked around the hidden sections of the palace. Sometimes they narrowly avoided detection, other times (often times), they easily made their way through empty, discarded ruins of the palace, until they were well on the low level, where the stench of smoke grew stronger, and more alarming. Soon there was company for them on the low, dark levels of the dungeons.

She stepped back and closed her eyes to concentrate on a silent spell. She put the dragon guards that stood outside the prison cells to sleep. She did not stop or let Modest get any closer until they saw both of the large dragons fall to the ground with a heavy thud, without getting up afterwards.

Once they walked closer, they heard their deafening snores, and were able to pass through the slumbering dragons without them so much as twitching, even when Luna accidentally tripped.

They both thought it was all over when she tripped with the open claw of one of them, which was even larger than she was, lying stretched out in front of him, the weapon it had held cast aside. However, the dragon remained out cold, as did the other, with no sign of ever noticing even the rough shove from her.

Modest sighed and looked at Luna, whose horn glowed as she anxiously cast the same spell to put them deeper under, until their snores deepened, and they began to drool in their sleep. "Psst! That's enough! I don't think they'll wake up any day soon now… They won't be a problem."

Luna blushed and sighed as she walked away from the sleeping dragons. She looked at Modest, but then glanced down quickly. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't worry. It was an accident. They happen. At least we're both alright." He turned the corner with her, after they went through the entrance, only to find a large, chained door before them. "That's the direct entrance. The way that the palace is now, I'm sure there's no other way around it."

Luna bit her lip, then glanced around the shadows worriedly, gasping when two black dragons slithered in front of the entrance to guard it. "Of course it wouldn't be easy…"

"The spell from earlier should work, though. Just be careful. They seem a lot harder to handle…"

One of the dragons snarled and hissed as the other sniffed the air. "Who's there?!" He turned his head while the other growled. "There shouldn't be any ponies out here…"

"Definitely smells like pony, though. Not just one… And it sure does smell special."

Luna gritted her teeth and made her horn glow as she hurriedly cast the same sleeping spell, with all she had. She grunted with effort when she saw that the dragons didn't drop as easily as the others. "Prince Modest, I'll hold them off. The spell alone won't be able to stop them, so I'll keep them here. You go in and see if you can get anypony out! Hurry!"

Once she made sure that Modest had gone, albeit reluctantly, she opened her eyes, which glowed white, and unleashed more of her power on the approaching dragons, until they too dropped unconscious on the ground. She panted and tried to catch her breath, but did not stop. Soon, she entered their minds to make sure they did not wake up, and kept them in a deeper dream without them noticing.

Modest used his managed to summon a strong blast of fire, which was enough to knock the doors down. He smiled and leaped inside, running down the corridors, until he reached the cells where all the ponies were trapped.

His horn glowed again; to his satisfaction, the ground began to tremble. "Don't worry, it's alright! We'll have you out of here in no time." He couldn't make out what the ponies tried to tell him, but he moved closer to use different spells to break them out. "Now, how did this… Alright, I think I have a way to bust it…"

He blinked and turned around when he heard growls behind him. He gasped and opened his eyes wider just as smoke was blown at him, and the growls got louder.

_Princess Luna… Quickly, you have to get—_

The glow that had surrounded the dungeons briefly, while Modest tried to work his way through, vanished right after Modest's screams were heard.

Luna grunted and held her head as her eyes stopped glowing. "Ngh… Wh-what happened…?!" She gasped, smelling smoke, then quickly moved before flames could hit her directly. She cried out when she landed on the ground. "Rgh!" She quickly picked herself up and shot a blast at the attacked. _No, this can't be. They found us! They already found us! _"Prince Modest! Get back here! We—"

Pyro walked out of the shadows, stepping closer to her. "Don't even bother with that prince, dear Princess of the Night. He's now the least of your concerns…" He gave her a cold, wicked smirk and a chuckle.

Luna gasped and looked around when they were immediately surrounded by dragons, armed to the teeth, wearing their menacing armor while they all glared at her. She narrowed her eyes and crouched, but then raised her head and opened her eyes wider, her ears pulling back against her head once she spotted Modest. "No…"

One dragon dragged the unconscious prince by chains tied to his front hooves. He turned his head and dropped Modest in front of them, huffing in annoyance.

Modest groaned wearily and winced, too weak to come to.

"No! Prince Modest!" Luna tried to get to him, but was blocked by the large, spiked tails of two dragons.

"Surrender, Princess Luna." Pyro smirked again, as another dragon pulled Modest's mane to lift his head up, and held an axe to his neck. "Surrender… Or I will have the pleasure to feed on _his_ royal blood first."

Luna shook her head, then gritted her teeth and glared at them. "You'll all pay for this… I'll make sure of it! You better let him go! If you hurt him…!" She looked aside and bucked some dragons away with her hind legs, then unleashed her magic at others. "I am not afraid of you, you hear?! Let him go!"

Pyro breathed fire right in front of her, almost burning her and forcing her to step back. He growled and motioned at the dragon to stab Modest. "Stop it, or I will have his wings cut off next. He can still keep his legs if you shut up and behave, princess."

Luna gave Modest a concerned look, watching as the dragons injured him. She whimpered softly, then closed her eyes and reluctantly lowered her wings, stepping down. "Stop it… Stop hurting him—it's enough. I won't attack them anymore. Leave him alone."

"Silence! You have no right to command me! You have really bad habits, you know!" Pyro walked closer to Luna, while others held her down from her wings and legs. "Bring it over here. How fortunate that we'll get to use the gems again, on a pony, no less. The perfect instrument to teach you all your lowly place…"

A few smaller dragons pushed a chest forward, letting Pyro unlock it. They grunted when Luna knocked them to the ground with her magic.

"STOP IT!" Pyro snarled, and had the dragon that held Modest stab him again, close to his wings. He glared at some of the light blue feathers that dropped on the ground. "This is exactly why I hate ponies…" He shook his head and lowered his wings again, after he composed himself. "Nice try, but you won't defeat any of us, with any spell you cast. Your little magic won't work on dragon scales, remember?"

He looked around as the dragons snarled, hissed, and laughed, mocking Luna. "Nonetheless… I'd prefer to have it out of the way altogether… Magic is _so _troublesome for us…"

The chest was opened, revealing a black collar with a gemstone on it, just like the one Talia wore. The gemstone gleamed an eerie light under the shine of the moon, making it look all the more frightening.

Pyro gave Luna a wide smile as his servants pulled the collar out of the chest and approached her with it. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Do you know what this amulet is, princess?"

She tried to move away from the dragons that held her and approached her with the collar, and steadily shot the collar a cautious glare. "No, and I do not wish to be enlightened."

"Aw, don't be so pessimistic, princess. It's a present from me to you. One does not reject presents and gifts, do we? Enjoy your gift, for it will be an honor for you. I shall give you the last possession of value that my lineage kept… after the Crystal Empire was snatched from my ancestor… Who had initially taken it by force, I'll admit. But he was great nonetheless."

He took the collar from the dragons and continued to approach Luna with it, watching her as she remained quiet. "Legends know it as 'The Grace of the Empire'. It was originally created by the wretched Queen Dream Song, to defeat King Sombra… But Sombra hunted her to her death before she had the chance to use it against him. He banished the damn thing; it was hidden from him without his knowing, by the followers of that damn queen. He was only able to keep fragments of its power… which my clan kept to this day, until I managed to snatch it from their possession, and inherit it."

He looked at the collar proudly, turning it in his hoof a bit. "I made a few modifications to it… So that only the one who put it on could ever remove it from the victim. The original Grace of the Empire used to be able to be removed by individuals of great power; power that matched the original strength of the victim." With a grin, Pyro secured the collar around Luna's neck, watching as it glowed and made immediate effect.

Suddenly the immense fatigue and sensation of weight on all of her body nearly overwhelmed her. Though she was utterly shocked from the effect of the magic object, her body would not let her react quickly enough. She groaned and swayed, almost fainting from the sudden exhaustion. She swayed and staggered, then struggled hard to keep herself from collapsing by using up almost all of her willpower.

_Wh-what's going on…?! Why can't I—I can't even think well! Stay strong, Luna… Stay…!_ She shook her head and grunted again, willing herself to stay on her hooves. The power of the collar was too much for her, and it threatened to overwhelm her completely if she did not stay on her guard.

She glared at the collar, then desperately looked up at Pyro. "D-don't do this! You… Do you have any idea what you're doing?! You have to take this off! I can't raise or lower the moon without my magic connection to it! I can't use my magic!"

"That's the point, princess. It should deplete your magic power completely."

"But that's insane! You don't know what you'll cause. You can't do this! Get this… Ngh, get this off me!" She tried to command her body to move away from the dragons and fight back with all of her might.

Pyro laughed while he watched the princess struggle as she rapidly grew weaker. He laughed at her warnings, and attempts to reason with him. "As if I care about darkness or light… Once I'm done with your precious kingdom, princess… There will be only ash and smoke. The skies will be black, forever. There will be no need for night or day, as no one will know the difference. I told you… The world will be for my servants and me… And we can certainly survive in such an environment. See, unlike you… I am no weakling."

Luna grimaced, then glared at him again when he blew smoke over her. _Why, you…!_ She glared at the other dragons that laughed and snarled in agreement to Pyro's words. _Why aren't these brutes doing anything?! I never thought they'd take it so well… Being slaves, and to a hybrid, no less… What on earth is wrong with them?!_ She stomped on the ground just a bit before her captors roughly pinned her down again.

Modest groaned in pain as he slowly came around. He noticed that the dragons were dragging him near Luna. No doubt they'd be imprisoned in the dungeons that they discovered, along with the Southern ponies. He winced and looked up at Luna while she tried to push herself to her hooves.

_Princess… Don't worry, I… _He grunted and frowned with determination when he saw the open, unguarded passage that would get them out of the dungeon corridor and the palace. Not many dragons would fit through to follow them… And he doubted any of them knew where it led, or that it was even there.

He smiled a little as the idea to escape kept growing in his mind. _All we have to do is make our way inside… Well, then…_ He shut his eyes closed and concentrated as hard as he could in a spell that would push the dragons out of their way, sending them flying. It made his head hurt, but he made an effort.

The dark fuchsia glowing aura of his magic burst into a wave of energy that shocked the remaining dragons and held them back. It pushed them away like several invisible explosions.

"Prince Modest!" Luna finally struggled to get on his feet and helped support Modest, but not for long, for he started to limp away from the dragons while they were still stunned. "Wait!"

He gave her a stern look over his shoulder. "Hurry, there's no time to waste. Hurry up!"

She caught up with him and watched his back while he opened what looked like a ventilation duct. "What… What is that?! Prince, what are we—" She cried out a bit when he pulled her up, inside.

"Another passage. It was for the soldiers that stood guard in the dungeons corridor to quickly get to the main hall and entrance, to guard the castle if necessary. It's unused, of course, so they shouldn't know about it." Modest kept crawling and leading the way out through the narrow tunnel. "Ngh, but we don't have much time. They'll catch on and seal all the entrances."

"But they don't know where this one leads to!"

"I guess we'll have to find out!"

They both looked back when they heard screeching roars behind them. As Modest thought, the leader had sent some of the smallest dragons after them. Much to his surprise, however, they were moving rather quickly, and would catch up with them in a matter of minutes.

"Crawl even faster. We can't make a mistake now; there'll be no time to turn around. Trip once, princess, and we're done for. Hurry!" He pulled her along, then smiled a little once they reached the unblocked exit.

Bright green flames from the gray dragons behind them flew out of the exit of the tunnel, but missed the alicorns when they flew out of the way and remained in the air.

Luna frowned and blocked the exit with a heavy piece of rock from the broken throne room. "There!"

"No, we're in the throne room. They'll get up here soon enough, but the guards out there are already coming." Modest pointed forward and flew with Luna, dodging some of the wingless dragons that tried to stop them. "We'll make it outside!"

As he had said, they made it out of the castle, but still had to rush their way through the city, which proved the hardest task of all. The Royal Guard was nowhere to be seen, and dragons attacked them from all directions. They heard the crumbling of the castle as it was ruined further when Pyro and his dragons charged through the stone walls to chase after them.

"Prince Modest—what now?!"

"We're almost there!" He stepped back to dodge a blast of flames with Luna, then kept running. _Any more flying is out of the question… We'll just have to try to lose them on the ground!_

"Don't push yourself too hard! We'll never make it if your injuries get worse!" Luna caught up with him and ran beside him to keep an eye on the cuts that the dragon had made on him.

Modest winced again while he stared ahead. Despite feeling tired and weak, his determination did not leave him. "Princess, don't worry. We'll definitely make it." He narrowed his eyes and turned a corner with her, heading for the seemingly unguarded side entrance. _Or… At least, __**you**__ certainly will, no matter what._

They skidded to an almost painful stop when dragon guards leaped out of their hidden positions and shut the heavy gates closed, right in front of them. The back-up guards did not waste any time to attack them.

Luna gave a frustrated glare to the shut gates and the guards holding them closed. "No!"

Modest blocked some of the attacks with a magic shield, then moved Luna and himself aside to take cover. Soon they were surrounded, but he continued to cast the strongest spells that he could manage. _They think I'm gonna let them all do whatever they want with us, with the princess… They've got another thing coming!_

Luna grunted and supported Modest when he swayed and almost collapsed. "Prince Modest! Hold on! Stay on your legs, Prince Modest. We have to get out of here! Don't give up now, alright?! I won't!" She gritted her teeth and glared at the large dragons that surrounded them and only increased in number. _But how, though…? Just how are we going to get out of this?!_

She frowned at Modest when he tried to cast another spell. "Stop it! Are you crazy?! You'll—"

"You can't use your magic at the moment, Princess Luna. I'll do everything I can before I let you get hurt. Understand? I have to protect you now, with everything I've got."

_But… We're in this together…!_ She shook her head and grumbled under her breath. _That stubborn fool… We need to find a way out of here before he kills himself!_ She gasped and ducked when a sharp dragon wing almost hit her. "There's no end to them!"

"Of course there's not. You stepped into the heart of a new dragon den, princess. Of course you were going to be surrounded… and eaten, though that will come later." Pyro looked back at his light blue, young dragon servant. "Sheva, take the prince. I'm sick of waiting for their little game to end."

Sheva growled while she glared up at him, but still flew down to meet the alicorns. She sighed when she watched Modest try to cast a spell, but nearly collapsed again. "Let's not make things difficult for either of us, okay? Look, he… He hasn't killed Talia yet. Most of her subjects are still alive; it's only the servants that are gone. Maybe he'll let you live as long as they have if you cooperate."

She caught Modest with her wing and set him on her back, then turned to look at Luna. She sighed when she saw the stubborn, defiant expression on the mare. _She won't make things easy..._

"Even if you capture us, you monster… What makes you think that I will just allow you to keep us in a cage?! We'll fight back, whether you capture us or not!" She glared at the other dragons while she stomped her hooves menacingly. "And you're not going to take me down so easily, slithering cowards…"

She huffed and lowered her head, ready to fight if necessary. _I'm not some princess in distress… I came to help and it's just what I will do. I am Luna, the Princess of the Night!_ "Get away from me or you'll regret it!"

"Oh, will you relax, Luna?" Pyro looked at the guards that stood by the gates and nodded at them. He and the other dragons stepped aside as the gates were dragged open in front of them.

Luna blinked with surprise, but kept her guard up, cautious of all the dragons that moved.

"This is your cue, Luna. You're free to go." Pyro chuckled while he watched a confused Luna. He then pointed at a pained Modest. "We're going to keep _him_, though. If you'll both be so kind to let us…"

Modest looked at Luna as she gasped and started to protest. He sighed and lowered his head, speaking quietly. "Please go, Your Grace. I'll be fine."

"No! No, there's no way I'll… Prince Modest, we came together! You, the Royal Guard, me…!"

Pyro looked up and scratched his head while he thought. "Oh, yes, about that royal guard… I hope you don't mind, but… The reason why we're all fine with not eating you both right this instant is because we… Well, we had a bit of a quick meal while you were busy sneaking around the castle."

Luna grimaced and stepped further away from the dragons while they laughed, and Modest only lowered his head silently, muttering his respects for the lost guards.

"We didn't kill all of them, mind you. Others put up less of a fight. So we captured them. We'll imprison them… And those that cowered from their position as defendants of your name will be our servants until I decide otherwise. But we're not going to discuss that, are we? Right now, I am giving you a one-time chance; your precious opportunity to flee, and live a little longer."

"_No."_

Modest smiled a little after Luna adamantly refused. "Princess, everything will be alright with me. You don't need to worry and stay back. It won't do; everypony else needs you. And you need to go, now."

"Prince, I'm not going anywhere. Understand?! I'm not going to leave you! We made a promise—whether you like it or not, we're _both_ keeping it! I won't let you tell me what to do…" She glared at Pyro again and stomped her hoof on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere without him! You won't get away with this, I swear! You better let him go, because I am not leaving unless he comes with me!"

Pyro laughed. "That's even better for us, princess! If you're going to stay, you'll make a wonderful plaything for the guards. Look at them. They're all eager to have something to chase… Then you can be my dinner."

"Don't you dare think this is going to scare me. I'm still not leaving him, no matter how you push."\

"Have I told you how much I like princesses with their spices included?"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Modest gave Luna an urgent look. "Princess, please… Please, leave! Don't be foolish, you won't end well in here. Please think! If you were to get hurt…" He shook his head and tried to urge her along again. "It all depends on you! Equestria won't do without their Night Princess—"

"And the Western Kingdom won't do without their Prince!"

"I'm telling you, I'll be fine! Go! Leave me behind—I'm not the one you need to focus on! You promised you'd help the Southern Kingdom. I did, too! I did my best, now you do yours! If you don't leave now, we both will be useless to them! We won't be able to call for help!"

She shook her head and tried to step closer to him. She ignored his glare and demanding voice. "Forget it; I'm not leaving without you! I brought you along for this mission, so I have to bring you back to Canterlot with me! If not, then I'll stay and help you until you can come back with me!"

Modest blinked and looked at Sheva when she released him. He sighed and limped over to Luna, who kept glaring at him. "...Thank you, Princess Luna. I truly do appreciate your concern. I do. You have no idea what it means to me." He closed his eyes and pulled her close into a hug with his wings.

Luna blinked with surprise and blushed. She looked at Modest with a small smile, but then tried to pull away. "H-hey, this is no time to—" She gasped when she realized that Modest was holding her in place. "What are you doing?! Let me go! Oh, don't you dare. Modest!"

He gave her a serious look. "It's pointless for you to stay here. Without your magic, you'll be beaten easily, and will end up injured. One of us needs to get out of here to give us all a chance to survive. I'll make sure it's you, Luna. It's my duty, understand?"

"No, it's not! Don't be foolish! Don't you dare, Modest. You hear me? I'm not going anywhere!"

He smiled a little and held her face in his hooves. "I'm not giving you a choice." He quickly pulled her close and grunted as he hit her head against his, in a strong headbutt.

"Modest—agh!" She cried out in pain and began to fall. She looked up at him, and tried to focus her blurring vision. _No. He can't do this. He can't. _"P-Prince Modest…!"

Pyro chuckled as he watched with a raised eyebrow. "What a nice way to treat a princess."

Modest rubbed his head, then sighed as he looked at the semiconscious princess. "Do forgive me… But you have to leave. Preferably as soon as possible… without resistance." He set her on the ground while his horn glowed brighter. He grunted when a dragon held him back, but managed to cast his spell on her. To his relief, Luna was gone, nowhere in sight, a few seconds later. _Please stay safe, Luna…_

Pyro walked closer to Modest, then pressed his head against the ground with a hit from his hoof. "Quite a gentlecolt you are… But you're also a fool. You wasted your only chance to escape on that useless mare."

Modest smirked and glared up at Pyro. "Hmph. You think I'm like you? I'd never do that; there was no way I was going to save myself by leaving her here. At least I'll die knowing I've got more decency than you will ever even imagine." He grunted and coughed when Pyro slammed his tail on his side.

Luna groaned while she regained consciousness. She raised her head to look around as her vision cleared and focused. _Oh, no. This… This is too far from the castle! What happened?! Where's everyone else?!_

She panted a bit while she searched for Modest and the dragons, finding them far away. Modest had teleported her out of the city after all. _No… How could you?! I told you not to—_

She stopped in her tracks, frozen with fear, when she saw that Pyro held Modest down on the ground. She could see from her elevated position in the rocky mountain side that Modest had teleported her to. "No… No, no, no… Please don't…"

To her horror, Pyro was getting ready to injure him, she could tell, even from the distance. She still couldn't get up from the ground, much less help him. Her strength was almost gone. _Prince Modest… No…!_

For a moment, only the anticipating laughter and growls of the dragons were heard, while Pyro raised his wing over Modest, ready to strike. Modest didn't even try to fight back.

Luna's eyes filled with tears while she continued to watch. _No…!_ She gasped, then grimaced and looked away when Modest's agonizing screams pierced the uneasy silence of the night once his horn was broken by the strong dragon wing. They were followed by the cruel, heavy laughter from Pyro and his dragon servants. She had to grit her teeth and concentrate to remain silent. _Modest… How could they…?!_

She cried, but only briefly, while she managed to pull herself together. It wasn't easy to acknowledge that she had lost. She had lost soldiers, Modest, and the opportunity to save the Southern citizens. She had also lost her magic, and most likely condemned the whole world with her failure.

The rescue mission had gone horribly wrong, and she nearly broke down again while she acknowledged it. But she needed to learn and see what had gone wrong, otherwise, the same mistakes would be made. She would not allow herself to make the same mistakes.

"Prince Modest… I'm so sorry…! I shouldn't have let him come… Forgive me, prince. Please forgive me…!" She sobbed a bit while she also apologized to the guards that had been lost. She kept her head lowered while she prayed for them, wishing so badly that she could light up bright stars in their memory.

_I promise I will do that… as soon as I have my magic back. I WILL get it back. They won't win…_ She glared up at the broken city with her eyes, though still filled with tears, renewed of their determination and courage.

"I won't let you get away with this, you monster. I will reclaim the Night as mine… I will save the Southern Kingdom, and those you have captured. You're going to regret this night… I swear you'll get the worst of it!" She growled, then stomped her hooves on the ground. **"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THIS WAR!"**

She let out a quick breath after she lowered back on the ground, then ran off into the forest just as some dragons flew out of the city to try to find her. She couldn't use her magic to escape, and even refrained from using her wings. They were hardly necessary; she remained hidden in the shadows and often concealed her scent with the different smells in the forest, and the rivers that she swam through.

She shook the cold water off her coat and wings, and kept walking. She searched for any remaining guards and to her fortune actually found a few of them alive, and with little injuries. Together, they cautiously made their way through the border forests, misleading the fewer dragons that searched for Luna.

_There's no other choice, is there… If I want to help them, I have to leave them… And get the others. I will need their help after all… We have no other option but to leave Equestria vulnerable, if we want to protect it from these monsters… Don't worry; there must be something I can still do for them, I'll rely on anyone I can… But first… I have to recover from this…_

She let some of the guards support her, and though she refused to rest, she gave them directions for them to make camp for a few hours during daybreak. "But we'll only rest for a bit. We need to move as quickly as we can. Make sure that we're all in condition to do so. I don't want to leave anypony else behind."

_I __**will**__come back. Modest… Please, I beg of you. __**Please**__ hold on and fight as hard as you can to survive, until I do… Fight them until I come back to fight for you. I just hope we're not too late… Please help everypony stay strong… I promise I'll do my best. We all will. We'll get you out of there alive._

Even when dawn came, the exhausted Night Princess couldn't get any sleep. She didn't know if it was real or not, but she could still hear Pyro's deafening laughter, and soon sensed the thick clouds of ash and smoke that covered the land, even reaching their area. So she remained wide awake, ready to bolt to her hooves and keep moving as soon as the soldiers got at least a bit of rest.

* * *

I'm so excited…! I finally introduced Princess Talia! I was so eager to do so… I had so much fun describing her, her character, her background, her kingdom, her STYLE! I love it so… I especially love the fact that they're Hispanic/Latino based. And their kingdom! I definitely loved the description I gave of it, and am quite proud of it. It should be beautiful… Exotic… I based it off South America and ancient Latin customs and civilizations. I had Aztecs and Incas in mind, in case you didn't notice.

I'm particularly delighted with the little details I added to the princess' clothing. You know, traditional Inca-style robes, the spears and weapons, and of course, her battle mask! Yeah, she wears that, and has other traditions that her kingdom has had for generations, but that dragon hybrid and the other dragons had to ruin it… I'm still proud. I love her accent. I hope you guys can properly picture it. How should I describe her accent…? Hm, very much like Penelope Cruz, I'd say (I can't think of anyone else). I'm recalling her character in the fourth movie of the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series. I'd say she speaks very much like that. Maybe her voice is a bit lower, though.

…NO! NOT MODEST! Um… Poor guy. Everything happens to him. He's starting to become the prince in distress, like Shining Armor, huh? I'm sorry if his 'sacrifice' scene came off as too sappy… I think it did, it may seem too corny and cliche… And I may have given Luna a cliche character here as well; defiant, but yet… helpless. I'm trying not to do that.

Looks like their rescue mission obviously didn't go like they expected; at the contrary. Luna's magic powers were basically drained, she has no way to get back to them, because of that collar that seals her power away. She has NO access to any of her magic, even the innate ability to magically raise the moon that she was born with.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but in this story, Luna and Celestia don't particularly need to stand in one spot and focus specific amounts of their magic to raise and lower the moon/sun. While they do it at times, more often than not, it's not required; you've seen the sun and moon raise and lower while their bodies glow, even though they're focused on something else (I think you've seen this mostly with Celestia). I believe it's an innate ability that they were born with; it was simply awakened and put to use once the previous rulers of the Sun and Moon stepped down from their duty and passed on the responsibility to their daughters. I believe it's a family thing that they inherit, and that power isn't precisely ability to control the sun and moon, but rather, their _connection_ with them, which explains how they can control them without really focusing on it, and perhaps would make them stronger, because they're somehow a part of the sun and the moon.

However, regardless of their heritage, it's a complex connection, because they also do hold some magic power over it that helps them harness their link. Without any of Luna's magic… Her connection to the Moon has been very roughly severed. ...Very much like the Avatar and the Four Elements.

I don't think I've mentioned pony deaths in a very long while, huh? I had to bring some darkness back, even if I just mentioned it… I feel sorry for them, things seem to have gone downhill very quickly. Modest doesn't have access to magic now, either, and who knows if the dragons will let him live long.

The dragons are creepy. That Pyro… I extended his name to Pyromedes. Hopefully it's got a nice ring to it. He's creepy, bitter, hateful, and dangerous, to say the least. A half-breed that went through the typical rejection and isolation that someone different does. I kept thinking of _Inuyasha_... XD

Thank you for being so patient with this. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready, because break is coming over… The long Christmas break. And with next semester being rough in school and all, who knows how much time I'll have at my disposition. Don't despair, I won't abandon this. It means so much to me now. But my progress may become slower than ever, unfortunately… T_T But, as many say (particularly Sherlock Holmes with his little pony that he rode): "Slow and steady wins the race!"


End file.
